Antitrust, Rustichelli: “Over half of the families have eroded their savings”

“During 2022, more than half of households eroded their savings” and “the sharp increase in the rates charged to households and businesses for bank loans was not followed by a corresponding increase in the interest rates paid to depositors”. This was stated by the president of the Antitrust, Roberto Rustichelli. “The president of the ECB herself has highlighted the need for a dialogue between banks and customers that leads to greater remuneration of deposits and savings”.

«Inflation weighs more on families who have less spending power. As economists often repeat, it is the most hateful tax that affects the needy more than the rich, reduces the value of savings and weighs particularly heavily on fixed-income workers», says the president of the Antitrust in the report on the activity carried out in 2022. «For the 20% of the least well-off families – he says – the actual inflation reaches almost double that of the richest families”. “However, cost inflation, stemming in particular from energy price increases, is also weighing on the business world.”

“In the last three years, 737,000 consumers have received reimbursements from companies for over 40 million euros”, says Rustichelli, underlining how “the Authority has continued to enhance and fully implement the power to accept catering commitments by companies”. «The costs – he continues – the times and the uncertainties related to access to justice in our country are still such as to induce many consumers to desist from requesting judicial protection for compensation for their violated rights. Aware of this situation, the Authority has continued to enhance and fully implement the power to accept catering commitments by businesses for the benefit of consumers affected by the offence, in order to ensure the broadest and most concrete satisfaction of consumers with its own provision damaged”.