Reclaim Bank Charges Guide: Where to Look for Unfair Bank Charges
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012The first step in reclaiming bank charges is identifying if you were charged an unfair amount. The Office of Fair Trading states that any amount above £20 is considered an unfair bank charge. It is advised that you review all your billing statements for any penalties or service charges above this amount. This short article will help you see which are unfair bank charges in your loan, mortgage, credit card or bank account.
Many people are claiming for unfair bank charges. Unfair bank charge are amounts charged to a customer that go above £20, as stated by the Office of Fair Trading. However, finding the unfair bank charges in your account could be tricky. Looking for unfair bank charges means that you have to review all the transactions you have done with your bank account to prove that you indeed incurred unfair bank charges.
Bank charges could be incurred by any customer by using the services of the bank. When withdrawing money from an ATM machine, transferring money to another bank account or when withdrawing over-the-counter, the bank needs to charge the customer. Bank charges go for maintenance and processing costs. A customer who commits contractual violations, such as bounced cheques, illegal requests, overdrafts and late repayments also incur additional bank charges. However, customers who have been charged more than the £20 stated above for every transaction have incurred unfair bank charges.
You could certainly look through your receipts and billing statements for every bank charge you have received from the bank. This could be a tedious task, but it is one worth doing for the compensation amounts are rewarding. However, it is not only through the billing statements does the bank get you unfair bank charges. If you carry mis sold PPI or a mis sold mortgage, you could also reclaim the bank charges caused by such.
Bank charges coming from mis sold PPI and mis sold mortgages could be reclaimed if the customer could prove that the products have been the cause of late repayments, overdrafts or bounced checks. You would need to file for a PPI claim to reclaim the amount you have repaid for mis sold PPI. PPI is mis sold when you don’t understand or possess a copy of the terms and conditions of its use. Mortgage brokers who have not explained the terms and use of the products they sell could be considered a case of mis sold mortgages.
In any case, you will need legal help to fully reclaim the bank charges and make the connection between the three items. Claims handing companies have PPI claims experts who have years of experience and knowledge in handling PPI claims and claims for unfair bank charges. You could work with them under a no win no fee basis of service, ensuring that you get the best legal help you could get or else they do not get paid for their service.