Bank Charges To Face Chop

Bank Charges To Face Chop

Wednesday 13th June 2007

A judge in Hull is this week proposing to scrap 44 cases where customers are trying to reclaim bank charges. Judge Ian Besford is summoning individuals to court in order to justify their claims and has written to these individuals informing them that they are unlikely to win their claims.

Judge Besford is thought to agree with the reasoning of a colleague in Birmingham who ruled against the claimant in a similar case in May of this year. This case in which Kevin Berwick was forced to pay all the charges owed to the bank did not set a precedent for future cases however and since this case there have been many victories for customers in both in and out of court settlements.

Other judges are seen to favour the claimant and many are complaining of the tactics used by banks including settling late in the day or failing to turn up to court whilst the trail is in process.

It is thought that the differing views of judges up and down the country means that claimants have entered a ‘legal lottery’ in which the outcome of their case is unpredictable and irregular.