Do you know if it is checked whether the deferral is "necessary"? I ask because I just thought, such a deferral can also be quite convenient if you perhaps have another (consumer) desire at the moment, fulfill it, and then simply add the deferred installments to the end, if the deferral is free of charge. Or are there disadvantages?
Yes, it is checked. The borrower must prove that they have crisis-related income losses and are at risk in their maintenance, e.g. by providing evidence of receiving short-time work benefits. At the bank where I work, this is also increasingly being used. However, I would not assume that every applicant is in dire straits. Rather, one wants to be on the safe side and not have to, for example, liquidate the stock portfolio or the pension fund contract, and in this case, the deferral appears to be the better option. But the option is only valid until the end of June.