Net interest income fell to €105m ($140.3m), a reduction of 9.6% on the first half of 2013, with consolidated pre tax income down a massive 37.7% to €41.4m.

DVB chief executive, Wolfgang Driese, warned that there had been an unhealthy “flooding of international capital markets” as central banks had pumped in additional liquidity.

“The liquidity glut led clients to repay loans early, to a significant and unexpected extent.