DB is in trouble, with derivatives exposure so large that failure will certainly mean intervention by the German government and global banking system. For this reason, and because US banks and the Fed stand have at stake much more than $14b, you can bet DB will settle for far less than DOJ's demand. Size matters when deciding if something is really a political issue and not an law enforcement or economic issue. tl;dr - If you want to get away with a financial crime don't just go big, go systemic.