"Dear Filipe & Company,

I would like to thank you for claiming my bank charges from National Westminster Bank Plc.

I never thought I would get anything but ..."

Ms Dalby, Lancs, 19th of June, 2007

Click here for glowing feedback from over 50 customers

CURRENT/BUSINESS ACCOUNT CHARGES - CREDIT CARD CHARGES - LOAN CHARGES - UNFAIR CREDIT AGREEMENTS - MISSOLD PPI - MIS-SOLD WHOLE OF LIFE INSURANCE

Latest update - 22/04/2010

Ratio Money Ltd (the company we have been referring cases to) went into administration earlier this month. Leonard Curtis Insolvency Practitioners are the administrators. I have spoken with them and been told that all Ratio Money's cases have been sold to another firm. Apparently, they cannot reveal who until the move is complete. I will update this page when that happens.

BREAKING NEWS - 22/12/2009

Bank Charges Cases
(this does not relate to all other types of claim, eg credit card charges, etc.)

In light of the OFT's decision to drop their case against the bank re unfair bank charges we are no longer accepting cases for that particular type. For more info, please see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8425766.stm

We are still accepting cases for unfair credit card charges, unfair loan/mortgage charges, Mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance and Unfair Credit Agreements.

BREAKING NEWS - 25/11/2009

As you may have read already, the banks have won their appeal to the Supreme Court and hence the OFT does not have the power to assess bank charges for fairness. We are reviewing the judgement with our solicitors before deciding on next steps. We will also need to wait on what the OFT plans to do as there may be a slim chance of continuing the battle by use of a different law. We will decide next steps in the coming weeks, probably by Jan 2010.

For more information, please see the following websites:

OFT: www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2009/137-09

Supreme Court Website

For more information on bank charges, you can also visit:

LINK TO OFT FOR LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

BREAKING NEWS - 22/7/2008

The FSA and the courts have granted the banks an extended waiver to the end of January 2008. See http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/oft-bank-charges for updates.

BREAKING NEWS - 22/5/2008

The banks have been granted leave to appeal. For further updates, please see Martin Lewis' excellent website: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/oft-bank-charges

BREAKING NEWS - 24/4/2008

The judge agreed with the OFT that the charges are subject to the UTCCRs and are to be tested for fairness. The banks did, however, strike a significant blow in that the judge agreed that the charges are for a service and not a penalty and therefore the banks are entitled to make a profit. The OFT's job now is to see, using the UTCCRs, whether that profit is too great. A hearing is to take place on 22^nd May 2008 to hear the bank's request and reasons for wanting to appeal. All bank charges cases remain on hold. We await updates which will be posted here as they come up.

All cases (not credit cards, loans or business accounts) are still on hold.

For those of you whose cases were referred to DJF Charges Consultants Ltd, their contact details can be found on www.recoverbankcharges.com. For those of you whose cases were referred to The Sherwood Partnership Ltd, their contact details can be found on www.thesherwoodpartnership.com. For those of you whose cases were referred to Ratio Money Ltd, more information will be made available here, as we receive it. For those of you whose cases are being carried out by us, feel free to contact us.

Please see links in this page for more information and updates on the Test Case.

IMPORTANT - BREAKING NEWS - 26/7/2007

For regular updates of the court case please visit one of these sites:

As you are probably aware, the Office of Fair Trading has begun a High Court test case against eight of the major banks and Building Societies to finally decide what to do about bank charges. The Financial Services Authority has allowed the Financial Ombudsman, the Courts and the banks to suspend all complaints pending the outcome of this case. Please see the following for more information:

We expect the test case will take at least six months to complete, probably over a year.

All cases will be commenced once the test case is completed.

As far as the information shows, this does NOT affect credit card claims.

The following "reclaim your bank charges" article was published in the Cambridge Evening News 15/7/06

SMART customer Filipe McManus has forced his bank to pay back six years' worth of steep overdraft charges.

Mr McManus discovered a legal ruling meant banks could not charge customers unfair amounts for going overdrawn, bouncing cheques or making late payments.
And he used his knowledge to get a refund of more than £1,000.

The 28-year-old data quality manager from Grove Gardens in Fordham now wants to help other people reclaim money from their banks. In six years, Mr McManus had paid out £1,500 in bank charges and was sick of his earnings going on financial red tape. So on May 1 he wrote to his bank, a major High Street name, asking for all his statements from the last six years.

He then ploughed through them all, making note of every time the bank charged him more than £12 - an amount considered reasonable by the Office of Fair Trading. [This statement is not entirely accurate. £12 is the minimum charge for which the OFT are willing to intervene. We successfully recover 100% of charges in almost every case. - Filipe McManus]
When he wrote to the bank asking them to repay the excess charges, it replied its charges had been lawful. But once he filed a claim in the small claims court, the bank agreed to give him the money back with interest - adding up to a total of £1,087.89. The bank, which made him agree not to name it in return for the settlement, also stumped up £120 for his legal costs.

The whole process took just two months.

Mr McManus said: "I am not sure what I feel more pleased about, the money or the fact I've finally got them back. I can't tell you the number of times I have rung up and complained about the charges. Banks have no more right to your money than anyone else.
"I am pleased the banks are finally getting what they deserve."
He has now set up the website www.reclaimbankcharges.co.uk to help other people get their money back in return for fifteen per cent of their refund.

He said: "There are people out there who don't realise they can do this. Other people don't want the hassle of trying to get it back, which is where I can help."

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REMEMBER... this is YOUR money.

FJ McManus Ltd (T/A Reclaim Bank Charges) is regulated by the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities.

The Authorisation Number is: CRM4363 and can be found on www.claimsregulation.gov.uk

FJ McManus Ltd (T/A Reclaim Bank Charges) Data Handler reg no: Z965544X ( www.ico.gov.uk )

FJ McManus Ltd (T/A Reclaim Bank Charges) is a registered company. Registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 5952144

VAT Registration: 896 1568 69

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