Thread: Referal Charges / Maintenance Charges Read Here (RBS)

Posted this a while back but a good few people still seem confused about how the charges are worked out. Also it'll hopefully save me explaining it every time!



I've tried to keep this as simple as possible (not an easy task!) hope it helps people understand how the system works. Here's what happens when an item (direct debit / standing order / cheque) is due off your account that will take you over your overdraft limit on RBS current accounts (other banks processes will be similar i'd imagine):


If an item is taking you over your agreed limit that day then YOU NEED TO CHECK with us if its being paid or not, otherwise you have no way of knowing which option will apply. There is a system in place whereby RBS will assess your account and decide whether or not to pay the direct debit / standing order / cheque:


Option 1. RBS will pay your item (shows on our system as "autopay")
This will obviously put you over your agreed overdraft limit, and result in what is called a “paid referal fee” of £30 that will be applied on the 6th working day of the next month (NB RBS will only charge you a maximum of 3 of these particular type of fees per month)
You will also be informed on your next statement of a £28 charge for “unauthorised borrowing – maintenance charge” and the date it will be debited to your account (about 2 weeks after you receive your next statement). Careful though - you are charged this £28 for every seperate monthly statement you show as being overdrawn so could be unlucky and would be charged twice if your being overdrawn ran over into your next statement to be sent out.
Essentially you'll be charged twice regardless – once (£30) for us paying an item when there are not enough funds and secondly (£28) for now being over your limit in the current statement period

Option 2. RBS will bounce (return) your item (shows on our system as "unpaid")
Although the item will still show on your statement if you look at it that day when you check the next day it will have disappeared (ie not been paid!) and been replaced with a standard £38 “unpaid item charge”.
(NB There is no limit here so if you were unlucky enough to have 1,000 items bounce on one day you would be hit with £38,000 of unpaid item charges!)
If the item is a cheque or Direct Debit normally it will be represented for payment a few days later and will probably bounce again if there are not yet clear funds in the account, resulting in yet another £38 charge for each unpaid item!
Also if this £38 charge(s) takes you over your agreed borrowing limit remember you will be charged the standard £28 maintenance fee as well for every statement period this covers.


If you can pay money in before 3.30pm (end of the banking day) then we can make sure the item is paid. (You need to tell us at the time that the money is to cover a DD / SO / cheque so we can go in and change the status of the item from "unpaid" or "autopay" to "paid") This will pay the item and in most cases eliminate any charges. (I believe that HBOS is stricter than us and require that customers have available funds to cover items in the account by 23:59:59 the day before or you will be charged and the item could bounce.)


Hope this is useful! Bear in mind the above illustration is just how RBS work it - other banks will probably be slightly different
Any questions just ask!

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BUT - are not the 'maintenance' charges what we would have referred to as 'penalties' before the recent court action and, would we not reclaim these as we would 'referral' charges?

With regards to the latest pay-in time, I had this problem but got the charges refunded. RBS changed their policy last year, presumably due to the faster payments system, and now require the money to be in the account by 11am on the day payment is due. They sent out a leaflet with statements explaining the changes a few months before the change took place. Unfortunately some staff seem to think the old policy still applies.