k)  Banks were advised to ensure that penal charges on non-maintenance of minimum balances in savings bank accounts are directly proportionate to the extent of shortfall observed, reasonable and not out of line with the average cost of providing the services that the balance in the savings account does not turn into negative balance solely on account of levy of charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance the bank should notify the customer clearly by SMS / email / letter etc.
However, from my vantage point the cyclical downside risk has recently tended to diminish. The German economy, too, with capacity utilisation perceptibly higher than that of the euro area, remains in good shape. Employment once again hit a new all-time high last year. Thanks, above all, to healthy domestic demand, gross domestic product was up by 1.8% after adjustment for calendar effects.