Pressing – Rolf Teuscher (78) is at the stove. Maultaschen sizzle in the pan. But the former master butcher does not prepare dinner for himself and his wife Ursula (78) at home. He’s in a restaurant kitchen. Teuscher works as an assistant cook in the “Ellmendinger Dorfbesen” to supplement his pension. Because he lost almost all of his retirement savings! Money that he had saved up and entrusted to a savings bank.
The senior with his own business from Keltern (Baden-Württemberg) has been hardworking all his life and has lived frugally. Just a Swabian!
Ten years ago he did what many financial experts recommend in the age of negative interest rates: Together with his wife, he invested the family assets (275,000 euros) in shares and allowed Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw to trade in them.
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The goal: The return should be high enough to largely offset the monthly expenses for the private health insurance and the couple’s medication (800 euros).
What should go wrong? Teuscher was a regular customer of the bank for four decades. It was right next to the butcher’s shop. He knew the bosses personally.
The senior lives rent-free with his son-in-law with his wife Ursula (74)Photo: Michael Hahn
It went wrong! As the “Spiegel” writes, the Sparkasse advisor sparked a “wild share trade” over months with the Teuschers’ assets.
The highlight: on a single day in August 2011, securities (including Heidelberg-Cement) are said to have been bought and sold again at such unfavorable prices that Teuscher’s depot lost around 30,000 euros in value.
The losses continued – in the end, around 130,000 euros were gone. At the same time, however, the Sparkasse had collected around 11,000 euros in commission. Teuscher’s remaining money went on a real estate loan.
The pensioner to BILD am SONNTAG: “Today my wife and I are up to our necks. From our pension we have 900 euros left to live on. Our son-in-law lets us live rent-free, otherwise we would have to go to the social welfare office. “
In order to supplement the meager pension, Teuscher cooks in the “village broom”. He receives 200 euros a month for this, and his wife helps out with a tax advisor. Teuscher: “What the bank has done to us and our money has been gnawing at us for ten years. We cannot sleep night, we are ashamed in front of family and friends. “
Despite the horrific loss, the Teuschers never sued the Sparkasse. They had signed an advisory protocol authorizing the bank to carry out the transactions.
What does the bank say? A spokesman said on request: “We have dealt with this case several times and examined the allegations in detail, both materially and legally. From our point of view, the claims of the customers are completely unfounded. ”The bank takes the position that the Teuschers themselves commissioned every single share purchase and sale. Rolf Teuscher denies that.
To BILD am SONNTAG he says: “Nowadays I wouldn’t trust anyone blindly and be skeptical about every promise. We fell for the Sparkasse. “