Deutsche Bank
SPAC Underwriting Record
2021 SPAC IPOs
35
Est. Fees Earned
$800M
Avg Client Return
-83.5%
Bankrupt SPACs
3
SPACs Underwritten (8 in database)
💰 The Fee Machine
SPAC underwriting fees follow a unique 5.5% structure: 2% paid at IPO, 3.5% deferred until merger completion. For Deutsche Bank, that meant an estimated $800M in total fees from SPAC activity.
The deferred fee structure was designed to align bank and investor interests — banks would only get their full fee if a deal closed. But in practice, this created perverse incentives: banks pushed marginal deals to close rather than walk away from deferred fees.
When the SPAC market collapsed, several banks including Deutsche Bank walked away from billions in deferred fees — but kept everything they'd earned upfront.