Government Crackdown on Banks Welcomed by CAS

Citizens Advice Scotland have welcomed news that the new coalition government is to crack down on unfair bank charges.

CAS Head of Social Policy Susan McPhee said,

“Every CAB in Scotland sees people every week who have been the victims of unfair bank charges. People are suffering the effects of the recession anyway, so it is particularly galling to have your income further depleted by unfair fees at the bank. We’ve seen cases where people have built up hundreds of pounds in fees just for being a few pence overdrawn.

“The worst aspect of this is that the charges tend to be disproportionate: the people who suffer most are those who are struggling on the lowest incomes to begin with, including pensioners, the unemployed, the sick and disabled.

“We have been calling for action on bank charges for years. If the new government is going to act, we welcome that very much. But of course we want to see the detail. We need measures which are actually going to work, and we need them put into action soon.”

For more information, interviews etc. please contact Tony Hutson on 0131 550 1010.