Depends on ownership AFAIK... In my home, I have the right to do anything I want (well almost; hope you understand what I am getting at).... By coming into my home, you implicitly agree to this. Therefore, I don't think that there are any grounds for complaint. However, I am not aware of the content of the conversations. Sorry, but more info required.

Very difficult to the point of being impossible for a private individual in the UK. Unless you have millions in cash in which case you could open a very small bank which would (in effect) be a relationship with one of the big banks as they would be the people clearing your cheques. However, you wouldn't be able to be a clearing bank unless the amount you have is in the billions; and who has a spare few billion lying around? If you do; call me! FSA regulations make it very very difficult to open a banking organisation as it involves many aspects of the law. Also, APACS would probably object and they may hold some sway with the government. Hence why there are (and have been for years) the "Big Four" clearing banks. Sorry, but it was a nice idea all the same.

Not sure re: the minors' rights as they are under 18 and (i assume as you don't mention) in the care of the step-mum or at least living with her. She may be able to plead that "she was looking out for the persons interests. However, the other person on the line DOES have rights about the taping. Basically the law is that you must state that the conversation is being recorded and it is illegal to record people without their knowledge. This is the reason that most phone recording devices have a "beep" that sounds every 30secs or so. I should state that my info may be a few years out of date, and the law may have changed since then. Probably best to speak to police if in doubt. Hope this helps.

I am not against these companies per se; as some people like to be guided through the whole process; and be able to talk to someone that can put their mind at rest. Also, these are unusual circumstances for most people, as such they may not be confident in their ability to litigate successfully. Same reason why I go to a mechanic to service my car.... I could change the oil, filter...etc myself but I would rather be kicking a ball around so I pay someone to do it for me. However, if all the mechanics were charging more than £500 (figure will be different for everyone) for a service, then I would either get the Haynes manual from the library and get cracking....! Or try to find a cheaper mechanic. All that said though.... 40% is a bit much! I would be willing to part with, say, 10-15% of the money if all the hassle was taken care of; but that is because I value my time differently to others.

I don't believe that it will make any difference to the economy; unless all these people decide to leave the country. As the assets are not being transferred; the state of the economy will not be affected. All that will happen is that a few companies (public companies; so owned by all our pension money; life insurance...etc) will have fewer assets on their balance sheet. Conversely, a lot of individuals will have a little more on their "balance sheet" so it should all balance out (give or take). Not sure if this is what you meant in the quote; but let's not worry too much about the banks... I am sure they can look after themselves. I suppose it would make a difference if they got close to their lending:capital ratios (the sum of money they need to keep in reserve in case people want cash from their account) and people made a run on the bank; but the amount would have to be huge for this to occur (well over £40billion [estimate of total charges make by banks over the 6 yrs]). This figure, huge though it seems to our eyes; only represents 1yr profits for the banks. In any case, any loss (or potential loss) of the bank will be impacted by the drop in their share price; credit rating...etc.

Guys, It has come to my attention, by reading on here and listening to the BBC interview with Mark Gander (on this site) that it may be of interest to dig out the old agreements we agreed to when opening our bank accounts. I have my Barclays account info booklet (from 2001) and the interesting thing is that section 7 (Borrowing from us) subsection 1 states that: " You must keep your accounts(s) in credit unless we agree an overdraft with you. " This may address the issue that DJ Cooke had about how it is not a breach of contract if you go overdrawn, write a cheque when funds are unclear...etc. Also, 7.4. states that " If you -overdraw without agreeing an overdraft with us; or -exceed an agreed overdraft limit; we may ask you to make an immediate payment into your account and we may charge our unauthorised interest rate and fees on the amount of the overdraft or excess until either it has been repaid or we have agreed an overdraft or an excess limit. " This, IMHO is the paragraph that "allows" banks to circumvent penalty laws, by referring to them and making them part of the contract to which you have agreed to. This is also not allowed by law. Although I am only a new poster on this site, I hope that this will be useful to those "higher up the chain" who will be able to interpret my raw info and turn it into something we could all use. I should also be able to dig out info on other bank accounts that I have held (eg. NatWest & Abbey National); if someone thinks that they may be of any use. Maybe a mod or someone could comment on this....

Tell me about it..... In fact, these bank charges were the the main reason for my financial difficulty in 2003/4.

Hi there all.... Just a quick intro to me and my financial life... I have just registered, and have been rooting around on the net and here (so class myself as an experienced amateur; but hopefully will upgrade myself to expert once the first claim is settled). Should say that I have claimed £800 from Barclays a year or so ago, but being a little ignorant.... I could have actually got back c.£1200, but no matter. I have a few bank accounts, including 2x business ones. There are quite a few thousands worth due to a period of financial difficulty in 2003-4. However, first off.... Have you ever heard of a bank charging you for a cheque that you paid into your account, which bounced.????? My bank account (with Turkish Bank (UK) Ltd. if you know/care) charged me £10 for each time this happened. It was my business ac so this happened a lot over 40 months. Also they charged me for things not seen at other major banks...eg. No free banking for 18 months, v. high rates for clearing cheques 40p, etc. The amount of charges over 40 months is c. £42000, of which the charges for my and clients bounced cheques are c.£20,000. I also have a few thousand to claim from Natwest, Lloyds and Barclays. Will post in relevant sections at a later date... Bye for now