Justice for bank customers

David Kuo, Head of Personal Finance at Fool.co.uk, says: "We are delighted the High Court has ruled that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) can assess bank charges for fairness.

"For two years Fool.co.uk has deemed unauthorised overdraft charges to be excessive and unnecessarily punitive. We are therefore pleased that justice has been done.

"We urge banks to cooperate with the OFT, and we also hope they will not challenge today's verdict. Appealing today's judgment will prolong the pain unnecessarily for disadvantaged customers. It is cruel to make customers wait another nine months or more to recoup what is rightfully theirs.

"Customers who have been unfairly penalised should continue to reclaim unfair penalty fees. There is a six-year limit for reclaiming the charges though the clock stops the moment you lodge your complaint with the court. Customers should not delay."