Before you jump in with outrage or bafflement, consider that this isn't all <i>that</i> shocking, nor is having to pay a bank to keep your money totally unprecedented. Consider: if you want someone else to store your car, or your junk, or your data, you have to pay them. The only reason banks normally pay <i>you</i> instead is that your deposits are so useful (for making loans, and profit on those loans), that it's worth it to pay you to convince you to put your money there. But if economic conditions are such that the bank can't make any profit using your money, there's no reason why they would pay you to keep it there.<p>You might ask, why on earth would I pay a negative interest rate on deposits if I can just keep my money under my mattress? And yes, you could do that, and some people will (or they'll move to a different bank). But then you can't pay with debit cards or use any of the other services provided by a bank, or benefit from its physical security. Those things do cost the bank money which has to be paid somehow, it was just hidden from you by the interest rate.