In February 1990, as German monetary union appeared increasingly likely, queues formed outside East German banks and savings institutions. Staff in East Berlin reported waits of ninety minutes, while savers withdrew 1.7 billion East German marks in January alone.
People were not seeking a scarce consumer product. They were trying to protect money from an uncertain conversion and possible loss of value. Rumours of a limit on one-to-one exchange encouraged families to open additional accounts. The queues made anxiety about rules that had not yet been settled visible before any physical shortage of cash occurred.