Banks to be ordered to give unfair charges back

Rip-off bank charges imposed on customers for going overdrawn or bouncing a cheque are to be outlawed.
The move follows a campaign by The Argus against unfair penalties charged by greedy banks for unauthorised borrowing.
The Office of Fair Trading will declare the fees are "unlawful" and "excessive" and order banks to refund what they have overcharged in the last six years.
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The ruling means banks will have to cut the current penalty fee of up to £38 to around £5 - or the real administrative cost of dealing with the problem - so they do not make a profit.
Angry customers from Sussex have already claimed thousands of pounds back following a landmark case where a student won £5,000 against Abbey, who charged him to £32 fees for going overdrawn by 5p.
A spokesman for the OFT said: "We think it is unlawful for banks to make money out of these charges.
"We also believe it is a breach of the banking code to close the accounts of people who do get their charges repaid."
The OFT's report is due to be published in the next three weeks and says the fines are "extravagant" and breach the law.
It will advise banks to set more realistic charges, reflecting the cost of producing a computer-generated letter.
After the report, banks will have to refund the full amount overcharged.
However, customers will probably have to write and ask for their money back rather than banks returning it automatically.
The OFT report will be the first official confirmation that banks have been acting unlawfully.
The Argus has highlighted the backlash against overcharging in a special series, showing readers how to reclaim their money.
Jack Hornsby, of Beaconsfield Villas, Brighton, followed our step-by-step guide on getting money back and received a full refund.
The 19 year old had been charged for going overdrawn using cash machines when travelling in South America.
The Co-operative Bank refunded him £200.
Graham James, 27, of Crawley, said banks were making a profit out of customers' misery and said they should not be allowed to get away with it.
He won back £4,500 from Smile and said: "Banks are taking the mickey because they are charging that kind of money for letters that cost pennies to send.
"They will charge you for going overdrawn and then charge you some more for telling you about it.
"People need to be pointed in the right direction for getting their money back."
Keith Jones, of Brede, near Hastings, is trying to get £4,500 back in charges over six years from Abbey.
The 57 year old said: "I think it is a complete farce. They charge about £35 for a computer to generate and post a letter and they are sending hundreds of these letters out each day. That amounts to a lot of profit for them."
Watchdogs like Which? and The Consumer Action Group have condemned bank charges as extortionate.