In a noteworthy interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung," Claudio de Sanctis explained why he views the planned closures of Postbank branches as unproblematic. It has only been a few weeks since the banking regulatory authority BaFin sent a special representative to the institution to ensure that the bank addresses the backlogs that have accumulated in the Deutsche Bank's back-office systems following the IT integration of Postbank. Nevertheless, de Sanctis is certain that the three million Postbank customers who currently visit branches regularly, according to his statement, will willingly do without them once the excellent app is available.

Given the immense number of customer complaints, it seems inadvertently comical when de Sanctis sets the goal of making customers love Deutsche Bank again. Such an intimate relationship with one's bank may be possible with highly charismatic advisors who serve high-net-worth private clients and their families. In the bread-and-butter business of Postbank, one could wait for a long time, even without the chaos of recent weeks.

Of course, Postbank also has wealthy clients. However, those who have chosen to entrust their wealth to the bank want a basic service that is inexpensive and functions properly – that they have in common with the millions of customers who maintain their checking accounts there. The same applies to those who want to finance their homes with the help of Postbank. And for those who maintain a basic account with Postbank to ensure they can access essential financial services despite existential problems. Is this clientele truly as satisfied with conducting all their banking transactions conveniently on their smartphones as de Sanctis claims?

Probably not. It's evident that even under the new Head of Retail Banking, the Deutsche Bank is not willing to align its retail customer strategy with the requirements of mass business. Although the Italian de Sanctis is trying to garner sympathy from Postbank customers by referring to his part-time job as a mail carrier during his student days, the impression arises that the twelve million Postbank customers are primarily seen as a scaling factor to justify IT investments. This equation can only work if they don't make a run for it.