Deposits with an agreed maturity continue to gain interest from households. This type of savings with the Dutch banking system currently amounts to EUR 45 billion. By contrast, simply redeemable savings (including Internet savings accounts) have shown a declining trend since mid-2006.
Through this shift, households seek to profit from the sharply risen interest rates on deposits with an agreed maturity. In particular, interest rates on deposits with a maturity of up to two years have gone up appreciably since the second half of 2005, while deposits with an agreed maturity are only rising sharply since the beginning of this year (see chart).
In the past twelve months, the share of deposits with an agreed maturity in total household savings has doubled (at present, almost one-fifth is tied up in long-term deposits). The vast majority of Dutch savings deposits – some EUR 200 billion – is still simply redeemable, though. These are chiefly Internet savings accounts.