Pricing Supplement No. 2118BK
To product supplement BK dated October 5, 2012,
prospectus supplement dated September 28, 2012
and prospectus dated September 28, 2012
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Registration Statement No. 333-184193
Dated July 29, 2014; Rule 424(b)(2)
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The securities are linked to the performance of the common stock of Ocwen Financial Corporation (the “Underlying”) and may pay a Contingent Coupon on a quarterly basis at a rate of 10.00% per annum. The Contingent Coupon will be payable on a Coupon Payment Date only if the Closing Price of the Underlying on the applicable quarterly Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Coupon Barrier. Otherwise, no coupon will be payable with respect to that Observation Date.
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The securities will be automatically called if the Closing Price of the Underlying on any Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Initial Price. If the securities are automatically called, you will receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the applicable Call Settlement Date equal to the Face Amount plus the Contingent Coupon otherwise due on such date. The securities will cease to be outstanding following an Automatic Call and no Contingent Coupon will accrue or be payable following the Call Settlement Date. However, if the securities are not automatically called and the Final Price is less than the Trigger Price, for each $1,000 Face Amount of securities, you will lose 1.00% of the Face Amount for every 1.00% by which the Final Price is less than the Initial Price. Any payment on the securities, including the Contingent Coupon payments and payment upon an Automatic Call or at maturity, is subject to the credit of the Issuer.
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Senior unsecured obligations of Deutsche Bank AG due February 3, 2016
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Minimum purchase of $1,000. Minimum denominations of $1,000 (the “Face Amount”) and integral multiples thereof.
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The securities priced on July 29, 2014 (the “Trade Date”) and are expected to settle on July 31, 2014 (the “Settlement Date”).
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Issuer:
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Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch
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Issue Price:
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100% of the Face Amount
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Underlying:
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Common stock of Ocwen Financial Corporation (Ticker: OCN)
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Contingent Coupon:
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· If the Closing Price of the Underlying on any Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Coupon Barrier, you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities equal to the Contingent Coupon applicable to such Observation Date on the related Coupon Payment Date.
· If the Closing Price of the Underlying on any Observation Date is less than the Coupon Barrier, the Contingent Coupon per $1,000 Face Amount of securities applicable to such Observation Date will not be payable and you will not be entitled to receive any payment on the related Coupon Payment Date.
The Contingent Coupon will be a fixed amount based upon equal quarterly installments accrued at the Coupon Rate of 10.00% per annum.
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Coupon Barrier:
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$19.87, equal to 56.50% of the Initial Price
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Observation Dates†:
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Quarterly on the dates set forth in the table below.
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Coupon Payment Dates††:
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The third business day following the applicable Observation Date. For the final Observation Date, the Coupon Payment Date will be the Maturity Date.
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Coupon Rate:
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The Coupon Rate is 10.00% per annum. The table below sets forth each Observation Date, expected Coupon Payment Date and Contingent Coupon applicable to such Observation Date.
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Observation Date††
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Expected Coupon Payment Date
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Contingent Coupon (per $1,000 Face Amount of Securities)
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October 29, 2014
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November 3, 2014
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$25.00
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January 29, 2015
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February 3, 2015
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$25.00
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April 29, 2015
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May 5, 2015
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$25.00
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July 29, 2015
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August 3, 2015
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$25.00
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October 29, 2015
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November 3, 2015
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$25.00
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January 29, 2016
(Final Valuation Date)
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February 3, 2016 (Maturity Date)
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$25.00
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Automatic Call:
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The securities will be automatically called by the Issuer if the Closing Price of the Underlying on any Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Initial Price. If the securities are automatically called, you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the related Call Settlement Date equal to the Face Amount plus the Contingent Coupon otherwise due on such date. No Contingent Coupon will accrue or be payable following the Call Settlement Date.
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Price to Public
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Discounts and Commissions(1)
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Proceeds to Us
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Per Security
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$1,000.00
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$10.00
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$990.00
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Total
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$875,000.00
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$8,750.00
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$866,250.00
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Title of Each Class of Securities Offered
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Maximum Aggregate Offering Price
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Amount of Registration Fee
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Notes
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$875,000.00
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$112.70
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Deutsche Bank Securities
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Call Settlement Dates:
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The third business day following the applicable Observation Date. For the final Observation Date, the Call Settlement Date will be the Maturity Date.
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Payment at Maturity:
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If the securities are not automatically called, the payment you will receive at maturity will depend on the performance of the Underlying on the Final Valuation Date:
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· If the Final Price is greater than or equal to the Trigger Price, you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the Maturity Date equal to the Face Amount plus the Contingent Coupon otherwise due on such date.
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· If the Final Price is less than the Trigger Price, you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the Maturity Date, calculated as follows:
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$1,000 + $1,000 x Underlying Return
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If the securities are not automatically called, and the Final Price is less than the Trigger Price, for each $1,000 Face Amount of securities, you will lose 1.00% of the Face Amount for every 1.00% by which the Final Price is less than the Initial Price. In this circumstance, you will lose a significant portion or all of your initial investment. Any payment at maturity is subject to the credit of the Issuer.
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Underlying Return:
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The Underlying Return will be calculated as follows:
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Final Price – Initial Price
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Initial Price
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The Underlying Return may be positive, zero or negative.
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Trigger Price:
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$19.87, equal to 56.50% of the Initial Price
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Initial Price:
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$35.17, equal to the Closing Price of the Underlying on the Trade Date
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Final Price:
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The Closing Price of the Underlying on the Final Valuation Date
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Closing Price:
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On any trading day, the last reported sale price of one share of the Underlying on the relevant exchange multiplied by the then-current Stock Adjustment Factor, as determined by the calculation agent.
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Stock Adjustment Factor:
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Initially 1.0, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain corporate events affecting the Underlying. See “Description of Securities — Anti-Dilution Adjustments for Reference Stock” in the accompanying product supplement
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Trade Date:
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July 29, 2014
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Settlement Date:
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July 31, 2014
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Final Valuation Date†:
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January 29, 2016
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Maturity Date†:
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February 3, 2016
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Listing:
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The securities will not be listed on any securities exchange.
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CUSIP / ISIN:
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25152RMW0 / US25152RMW06
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Observation Date
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Expected Call Settlement Date
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Payment upon an Automatic Call (per $1,000 Face Amount of Securities)
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October 29, 2014
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November 3, 2014
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$1,000.00
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January 29, 2015
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February 3, 2015
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$1,000.00
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April 29, 2015
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May 5, 2015
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$1,000.00
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July 29, 2015
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August 3, 2015
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$1,000.00
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October 29, 2015
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November 3, 2015
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$1,000.00
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January 29, 2016 (Final Valuation Date)
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February 3, 2016 (Maturity Date)
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$1,000.00
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Underlying Return (%)
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Payment at Maturity (excluding any Contingent Coupon) ($)
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Return on the Securities at Maturity (excluding any Contingent Coupon) (%)
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100.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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90.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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80.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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70.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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60.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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50.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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40.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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30.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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20.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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10.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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0.00%
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N/A
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N/A
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-10.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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-20.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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-30.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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-40.00%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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-43.50%
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$1,000.00
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0.00%
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-50.00%
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$500.00
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-50.00%
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-60.00%
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$400.00
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-60.00%
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-70.00%
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$300.00
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-70.00%
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-80.00%
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$200.00
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-80.00%
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-90.00%
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$100.00
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-90.00%
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-100.00%
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$0.00
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-100.00%
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THE SECURITIES MAY OFFER A HIGHER, THOUGH CONTINGENT, COUPON THAN THE YIELD ON DEBT SECURITIES OF COMPARABLE MATURITY ISSUED BY US OR AN ISSUER WITH A COMPARABLE CREDIT RATING — The securities will pay Contingent Coupons that accrue at a rate of 10.00% per annum only if the Closing Price of the Underlying is greater than or equal to the Coupon Barrier on the relevant Observation Date. This rate may be higher than the yield received on debt securities of comparable maturity issued by us or an issuer with a comparable credit rating, but is subject to the risk that the Closing Price of the Underlying will be less than the Coupon Barrier on an Observation Date and the resulting forfeiture of the Contingent Coupon for the entire period, as well as the risk of losing a significant portion or all of your initial investment if the securities are not automatically called and the Final Price is less than the Trigger Price. Because the securities are our senior
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unsecured obligations, any payment on the securities, including the Contingent Coupon payments and payment upon an Automatic Call or at maturity, is subject to the credit of the Issuer.
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POTENTIAL EARLY EXIT AS A RESULT OF AUTOMATIC CALL FEATURE — While the original term of the securities is approximately eighteen months, the securities will be automatically called before maturity if the Closing Price of the Underlying is greater than or equal to the Initial Price on any Observation Date, and you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the Call Settlement Date equal to the Face Amount plus the Contingent Coupon otherwise due on such date. No Contingent Coupon will accrue or be payable following the Call Settlement Date.
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CONTINGENT COUPON PAYMENTS — Unless the securities are previously automatically called, Contingent Coupon payments, if any, will be made on the securities in arrears on the relevant quarterly Coupon Payment Dates, unless the Closing Price of the Underlying on the relevant Observation Date is less than the Coupon Barrier.
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RETURN LINKED TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE UNDERLYING — The securities are linked to the performance of the common stock of Ocwen Financial Corporation (the “Underlying”). For more information on the Underlying, please see “The Underlying” in this pricing supplement.
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TAX CONSEQUENCES — Due to the lack of direct legal authority, there is substantial uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the securities. In determining our responsibilities for information reporting and withholding, if any, we intend to treat the securities as prepaid financial contracts that are not debt, with associated contingent coupons that constitute ordinary income and that, when paid to a non-U.S. holder, are generally subject to 30% (or lower treaty rate) withholding. Our special tax counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, has advised that while it believes this treatment to be reasonable, it is unable to conclude that it is more likely than not that this treatment will be upheld, and that other reasonable treatments are possible that could materially affect the timing and character of income or loss on your securities. If this treatment is respected, you generally should recognize short-term capital gain or loss on the taxable disposition of your securities (including retirement), unless you have held the securities for more than one year, in which case your gain or loss should be long-term capital gain or loss. However, it is likely that any sales proceeds that are attributable to the next succeeding contingent coupon after it has been fixed will be treated as ordinary income and also possible that any sales proceeds attributable to the next succeeding contingent coupon prior to the time it has been fixed will be treated as ordinary income.
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YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES MAY RESULT IN A LOSS — If the securities are not automatically called, you will receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of securities on the Maturity Date equal to the Face Amount plus the Contingent Coupon otherwise due on such date so long as the Final Price is greater than or equal to the Trigger Price. However, if the Final Price is less than the Trigger Price, for each $1,000 Face Amount of securities, you will lose 1.00% of the Face Amount for every 1.00% by which the Final Price is less than the Initial Price. In this circumstance, you will lose a significant portion or all of your investment at maturity. Because the securities are our senior unsecured obligations, any payment on the securities, including the Contingent Coupon payments and payment upon an Automatic Call or at maturity, is subject to the credit of the Issuer.
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YOUR RETURN ON THE SECURITIES IS LIMITED TO THE FACE AMOUNT PLUS CONTINGENT COUPONS (IF ANY) AND YOU SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY APPRECIATION OF THE UNDERLYING — The securities will not pay more than the Face Amount, plus any accrued and unpaid
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Contingent Coupon, at maturity or upon an Automatic Call. You will not participate in the appreciation of the Underlying even if the Final Price of the Underlying is greater than or equal to the Initial Price. The maximum payment upon an Automatic Call or at maturity will be $1,000 per $1,000 Face Amount of securities (excluding any Contingent Coupon), regardless of any appreciation of the Underlying, which may be significant.
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NO CONTINGENT COUPON WILL ACCRUE OR BE PAYABLE IN ANY PERIOD IN WHICH THE CLOSING PRICE OF THE UNDERLYING ON THE RELEVANT OBSERVATION DATE IS LESS THAN THE COUPON BARRIER — If the Closing Price of the Underlying on an Observation Date is less than the Coupon Barrier, you will not receive any Contingent Coupon for that entire period. You will receive the Contingent Coupon payment for a period only if the Closing Price of the Underlying on the relevant Observation Date is greater than or equal to the Coupon Barrier. If the Closing Price of the Underlying is below the Coupon Barrier on each Observation Date, you will receive no Contingent Coupon payments during the entire term of the securities. Generally, non-payment of Contingent Coupons coincides with a greater risk of loss of your initial investment in the securities, because the price of the Underlying tends to be lower than the Trigger Price.
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REINVESTMENT RISK — If your securities are called early, the term of the securities may be reduced to as short as approximately three months. There is no guarantee that you would be able to reinvest the proceeds from an investment in the securities at a comparable return for a similar level of risk in the event the securities are automatically called prior to the Maturity Date.
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NO DIVIDEND PAYMENTS OR VOTING RIGHTS — As a holder of the securities, you will not have voting rights or rights to receive cash dividends or other distributions or other rights that holders of the Underlying would have.
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THE SECURITIES ARE SUBJECT TO OUR CREDITWORTHINESS — The securities are senior unsecured obligations of the Issuer, Deutsche Bank AG, and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Any payment(s) to be made on the securities depends on the ability of Deutsche Bank AG to satisfy its obligations as they come due. An actual or anticipated downgrade in Deutsche Bank AG’s credit rating or increase in the credit spreads charged by the market for taking our credit risk will likely have an adverse effect on the value of the securities. As a result, the actual and perceived creditworthiness of Deutsche Bank AG will affect the value of the securities, and in the event Deutsche Bank AG were to default on its obligations, you might not receive any amount(s) owed to you under the terms of the securities and you could lose your entire investment.
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THE ISSUER’S ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE SECURITIES ON THE TRADE DATE WILL BE LESS THAN THE ISSUE PRICE OF THE SECURITIES — The Issuer’s estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date (as disclosed on the cover of this pricing supplement) is less than the Issue Price of the securities. The difference between the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date is due to the inclusion in the Issue Price of the agent’s commissions, if any, and the cost of hedging our obligations under the securities through one or more of our affiliates. Such hedging cost includes our or our affiliates’ expected cost of providing such hedge, as well as the profit we or our affiliates expect to realize in consideration for assuming the risks inherent in providing such hedge. The Issuer’s estimated value of the securities is determined by reference to an internal funding rate and our pricing models. The internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate we would pay when we issue conventional debt securities on equivalent terms. This difference in funding rate, as well as the agent’s commissions, if any, and the estimated cost of hedging our obligations under the securities, reduces the economic terms of the securities to you and is expected to adversely affect the price at which you may be able to sell the securities in any secondary market. In addition, our internal pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. If at any time a third party dealer were to quote a price to purchase your securities or otherwise value your securities, that price or value may differ materially from the estimated value of the securities determined by reference to our internal funding rate and pricing models. This difference is due to, among other things, any difference in funding rates, pricing models or assumptions used by any dealer who may purchase the securities in the secondary market.
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INVESTING IN THE SECURITIES IS NOT THE SAME AS INVESTING IN THE UNDERLYING — The return on the securities may not reflect the return you would have realized if you had directly invested in the Underlying. For instance, you will not participate in any potential appreciation in the price of the Underlying, which could be significant, even though at maturity you may be exposed to the full decline in the price of the Underlying from the Initial Price to the Final Price.
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IF THE PRICE OF THE UNDERLYING CHANGES, THE VALUE OF YOUR SECURITIES MAY NOT CHANGE IN THE SAME MANNER — Your securities may trade quite differently from the Underlying. Changes in the market price of the Underlying may not result in a comparable change in the value of your securities.
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ANTI-DILUTION PROTECTION IS LIMITED, AND THE CALCULATION AGENT MAY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IN ADDITION TO, OR THAT DIFFER FROM, THOSE SET FORTH IN THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT SUPPLEMENT — The calculation agent will make adjustments to the Stock Adjustment Factor, which will initially be set at 1.0, for certain events affecting the Underlying. The calculation agent is not required, however, to make adjustments in response to all corporate actions, including if the issuer of the Underlying or another party makes a partial tender or partial exchange offer for the Underlying. If such an event occurs that does not require the calculation agent to make an adjustment, the value of the securities may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, you should be aware that the calculation agent may, at its sole discretion, make adjustments to the Stock Adjustment Factor or any other terms of the securities that are in addition to, or that differ from, those described in the accompanying product supplement to reflect changes occurring in relation to the Underlying in circumstances where the calculation agent determines that it is appropriate to reflect those changes to ensure an equitable result. Any alterations to the specified anti-dilution adjustments for the Underlying described in the accompanying product supplement may be materially adverse to investors in the securities. You should read “Description of Securities — Anti-Dilution Adjustments for Reference Stock” in the accompanying product supplement in order to understand the adjustments that may be made to the securities.
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SINGLE STOCK RISK — The price of the Underlying can rise or fall sharply due to factors specific to the Underlying and its issuer, such as stock price volatility, earnings, financial conditions, corporate, industry and
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regulatory developments, management changes and decisions and other events, as well as general market factors, such as general stock market volatility and levels, interest rates and economic and political conditions. For additional information about the Underlying and its issuer, please see “The Underlying” in this pricing supplement and the issuer’s SEC filings referred to in that section.
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WE HAVE NO AFFILIATION WITH THE ISSUER OF THE UNDERLYING — The issuer of the Underlying is not an affiliate of ours and is not involved in any way in any of our offerings of the securities pursuant to this pricing supplement. Consequently, we have no control over the actions of the issuer of the Underlying, including any corporate actions of the type that would require the calculation agent to adjust the Stock Adjustment Factor, which may adversely affect the value of your securities. The issuer of the Underlying has no obligation to consider your interest as an investor in the securities in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of your securities. None of the money you pay for the securities will go to the issuer of the Underlying.
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PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE UNDERLYING IS NO GUIDE TO FUTURE PERFORMANCE — The actual performance of the Underlying over the term of the securities may bear little relation to the historical closing prices of the Underlying and may bear little relation to the hypothetical return examples set forth elsewhere in this pricing supplement. We cannot predict the future performance of the Underlying or whether the performance of the Underlying will result in the return of any of your investment.
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ASSUMING NO CHANGES IN MARKET CONDITIONS AND OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS, THE PRICE YOU MAY RECEIVE FOR YOUR SECURITIES IN SECONDARY MARKET TRANSACTIONS WOULD GENERALLY BE LOWER THAN BOTH THE ISSUE PRICE AND THE ISSUER'S ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE SECURITIES ON THE TRADE DATE — While the payment(s) on the securities described in this pricing supplement is based on the full Face Amount of your securities, the Issuer's estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date (as disclosed on the cover of this pricing supplement) is less than the Issue Price of the securities. The Issuer's estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date does not represent the price at which we or any of our affiliates would be willing to purchase your securities in the secondary market at any time. Assuming no changes in market conditions or our creditworthiness and other relevant factors, the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates would be willing to purchase the securities from you in secondary market transactions, if at all, would generally be lower than both the Issue Price and the Issuer's estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date. Our purchase price, if any, in secondary market transactions would be based on the estimated value of the securities determined by reference to (i) the then-prevailing internal funding rate (adjusted by a spread) or another appropriate measure of our cost of funds and (ii) our pricing models at that time, less a bid spread determined after taking into account the size of the repurchase, the nature of the assets underlying the securities and then-prevailing market conditions. The price we report to financial reporting services and to distributors of our securities for use on customer account statements would generally be determined on the same basis. However, during the period of approximately three months beginning from the Trade Date, we or our affiliates may, in our sole discretion, increase the purchase price determined as described above by an amount equal to the declining differential between the Issue Price and the Issuer's estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date, prorated over such period on a straight-line basis, for transactions that are individually and in the aggregate of the expected size for ordinary secondary market repurchases.
In addition to the factors discussed above, the value of the securities and our purchase price in secondary market transactions after the Trade Date, if any, will vary based on many economic market factors, including our creditworthiness, and cannot be predicted with accuracy. These changes may adversely affect the value of your securities, including the price you may receive in any secondary market transactions. Any sale prior to the Maturity Date could result in a substantial loss to you. The securities are not designed to be short-term trading instruments. Accordingly, you should be able and willing to hold your securities to maturity.
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THE SECURITIES WILL NOT BE LISTED AND THERE WILL LIKELY BE LIMITED LIQUIDITY — The securities will not be listed on any securities exchange. There may be little or no secondary market for the securities. Even if there is a secondary market, it may not provide enough liquidity to allow you to trade or sell the securities when you wish to do so or at a price advantageous to you. We and our affiliates intend to act as market makers for the securities but are not required to do so. Because we do not expect that other market makers will participate significantly in the secondary market for the securities, the price at which you may be able to trade or sell your securities is likely to depend on the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates are willing to buy the securities. If, at any time, we or our affiliates do not act as market makers, it is likely that there would be little or no secondary market for the securities.
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MANY ECONOMIC AND MARKET FACTORS WILL AFFECT THE VALUE OF THE SECURITIES — While we expect that, generally, the price of the Underlying will affect the value of the securities more than any other single factor, the value of the securities prior to maturity will also be affected by a number of other factors that may either offset or magnify each other, including:
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whether the Closing Price of the Underlying on any Observation Date is less than the Coupon Barrier;
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the expected volatility of the Underlying;
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the time remaining to maturity of the securities;
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the dividend rate on the Underlying;
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the real and anticipated results of operations of the issuer of the Underlying;
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actual or anticipated corporate reorganization events, such as mergers or takeovers, which may affect the issuer of the Underlying;
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interest rates and yields in the market generally;
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geopolitical conditions and economic, financial, political, regulatory or judicial events that affect the Underlying or markets generally;
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supply and demand for the securities; and
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our creditworthiness, including actual or anticipated downgrades in our credit ratings.
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TRADING AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS BY US OR OUR AFFILIATES IN THE EQUITY AND EQUITY DERIVATIVE MARKETS MAY IMPAIR THE VALUE OF THE SECURITIES — We or one or more of our affiliates expect to hedge our exposure from the securities by entering into equity and equity derivative transactions, such as over-the-counter options or exchange-traded instruments. Such trading and hedging activities may affect the Underlying and make it less likely that you will receive a positive return on your investment in the securities. It is possible that we or our affiliates could receive substantial returns from these hedging activities while the value of the securities declines. We or our affiliates may also engage in trading in instruments linked to the Underlying on a regular basis as part of our general broker-dealer and other businesses, for proprietary accounts, for other accounts under management or to facilitate transactions for customers, including block transactions. We or our affiliates may also issue or underwrite other securities or financial or derivative instruments with returns linked or related to the Underlying. By introducing competing products into the marketplace in this manner, we or our affiliates could adversely affect the value of the securities. Any of the foregoing activities described in this paragraph may reflect trading strategies that differ from, or are in direct opposition to, investors’ trading and investment strategies related to the securities. Furthermore, because Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“DBSI”) or its affiliates expects to conduct trading and hedging activities for us in connection with the securities, DBSI or its affiliates will likely profit in connection with such trading and hedging activities. You should be aware that the potential to earn a profit in connection with hedging activities may create an incentive for DBSI to sell the securities to you.
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WE, OUR AFFILIATES OR OUR AGENTS MAY PUBLISH RESEARCH, EXPRESS OPINIONS OR PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE INCONSISTENT WITH INVESTING IN OR HOLDING THE SECURITIES. ANY SUCH RESEARCH, OPINIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE PRICE OF THE UNDERLYING TO WHICH THE SECURITIES ARE LINKED OR THE VALUE OF THE SECURITIES — We, our affiliates or our agents may publish research from time to time on financial markets and other matters that could adversely affect the value of the securities, or express opinions or provide recommendations that are inconsistent with purchasing or holding the securities. Any research, opinions or recommendations expressed by us, our affiliates or our agents may not be consistent with each other and may be modified from time to time without notice. You should make your own independent investigation of the merits of investing in the securities and the Underlying to which the securities are linked.
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POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST — We and our affiliates play a variety of roles in connection with the issuance of the securities, including acting as calculation agent, hedging our obligations under the securities and determining the Issuer’s estimated value of the securities on the Trade Date and the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates would be willing to purchase the securities from you in secondary market transactions. In performing these duties, our economic interests and those of our affiliates are potentially adverse to your interests as an investor in the securities. The calculation agent will determine, among other things, the amount that we will pay you upon an Automatic Call or at maturity. The calculation agent will also be responsible for determining whether a market disruption event has occurred. In addition, the calculation agent retains a degree of discretion about certain adjustments to the Stock Adjustment Factor upon the occurrence of certain corporate events. Any determination by the calculation agent could adversely affect the return on the securities.
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THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES — There is no direct legal authority regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of the securities, and we do not plan to request a ruling from the IRS. Consequently, significant aspects of the tax treatment of the securities are uncertain, and the IRS or a court might not agree with the treatment of the securities as prepaid financial contracts that are not debt, with associated contingent coupons, as described above under “Tax Consequences.” If the IRS were successful in asserting an alternative treatment for the securities, the tax consequences of ownership and disposition of the securities could be materially affected. In addition, as described above under “Tax Consequences,” in 2007 the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS released a notice requesting comments on various issues regarding the U.S. federal income tax treatment of “prepaid forward contracts” and similar instruments. Any Treasury regulations or other guidance promulgated after consideration of these issues could materially affect the tax consequences of an investment in the securities, possibly with retroactive effect. You should review carefully the section of the accompanying product supplement entitled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” and consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the securities (including possible alternative treatments and the issues presented by the 2007 notice), as well as tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction.
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