Early repayment after the fixed interest period expires

What the broker earns is irrelevant as long as my total costs are lower than elsewhere. Of course, people who have no idea and need advice and do not inform themselves are easy targets for bankers. They don’t really advise but show what they can do with their products. Whether there are better products or another strategy is better for their products is not mentioned. At least bankers advise to the advantage of the customer. In my experience, the worst salespeople were those from a building society which has rooms in a bank, e.g. VR Bank.

What the broker earns is irrelevant as long as my total costs are lower than elsewhere.

Well, you have to pay that earning in your rate. Volksbank, for example, does not have such high costs for the broker and is therefore competitive. But the better is always the enemy of the good.

At least bankers advise to the benefit of the customer.

Fake news here as well. Most bankers (by the way, it is not spelled with ä) advise sensibly. They receive their salary independently of sales success. Unlike the small broker (or even bigger ones, as they are often paid based on success).

Fake news here as well. Most bankers (by the way, that is not spelled with an ä) advise sensibly. They receive their salary independent of sales success.

They advise sensibly within their means. The salesperson can usually do nothing about having bad products. They still have to sell them. See Sparkasse advisors who often, after >10 years fixed interest period, can only offer building savings contracts.

Bankers do get commissions. Especially those at the building society almost exclusively live off commissions. Those employed at the bank get pressure from above if they don't sell something profitable. I know someone who was at the savings bank and quit. She said it is exactly as I suspect. They sell the contracts that are profitable so that the sales figures are right, even if there might be something cheaper or more sensible for the customer.

Bankers do indeed receive commissions.

No, bank employees do not! They are paid according to tariff (for those outside the tariff, possibly a bonus due to target agreements) - but these are at most better-paid corporate customer advisors.

Especially those at building societies live almost exclusively off commissions.

These are not bankers, but usually 84er sales agents - and thus self-employed with only one product (= building savings/building loans).

I know one who was at the Sparkasse and quit.

You really know ONE female banker. I have been working in this field for over 20 years and know hundreds of bankers who work properly. Building society salespeople as well as independent financial advisors (e.g. at the DB) are a different world. But this is about bankers and not some self-employed persons.

They sell the contracts that pay off so that the sales figures are right even if there might be something cheaper or more sensible for the customer.

Why should a banker do that? Unlike the self-employed, he wants to keep his customer relationship long-term. Whoever advises well in construction financing can also achieve cross-selling ==> construction financing, insurance, securities, retirement provision, etc.
For this reason alone, banks cannot afford hordes of incompetent salespeople.

Banker (by the way, it is not spelled with ä)

According to the current Duden, Bänker is not incorrect.