It is true that European banks are not to be praised, especially in comparison with Wallstreet. Someone posted up above that European Banks are ceding equities trading and investment banking to Wall Street firms and whether some would like to admit it or not, it is the truth. Period. Even when you look at it from a very micro level, not focusing on Deutsche Bank and other big names, it is still the same. Just as an example, ss mentioned somewhere on the DealRoom blog, many still use traditional investor software for investment banking, so what is more to say? They don't even dare to innovate at the very basic level, so how can we expect there to be any notable progress. In short, from what I have read on the thread the reality is: Low to negative interest rates in Europe and a flat yield curve means European bank profitability will remain under pressure and keep these stocks unattractive,” according to CNBC.