Which? sees growing numbers stand up to bank charges

Consumers are determined to retrieve the funds extracted from them by banks, Which? has revealed, as over a quarter of a million people download template letters to help them reclaim bank charges.The total number of downloads of template complaint letters and factsheets explaining how to recoup bank charges is now over 262,400, Which? reported.Bank customers' decision to take action to reclaim fees is "testament that the bank charges campaign has struck a real chord with the public", personal finance campaigner Emma Bandey said.It also suggests that publicity surrounding the ongoing Office of Fair Trading preliminary inquiry into charges on unauthorised overdrafts has alerted many customers to their rights.Customers should move now to "get back the money you're owed", Ms Bandey urged, emphasising that reclaiming bank charges is "simple and straightforward". The pressure on banks to rethink charging mechanisms is increasing, with the announcement this week that MPs on the Treasury Select Committee will conduct an inquiry including public hearings in which banks will be called on to account for their charges.