If you are smart and want to make a fortune, work for a German bank. That is the conclusion a bright young graduate might draw from the astonishing deals a succession of top bankers and financiers have extracted from their German masters over the past decade.

The latest example to come to light was the money earned by Tim Shacklock, the former Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein investment banker whose £26m (€38m) package last year was revealed by Financial News. Over three years, he is thought to have collected £40m.