I've just found a credit from the Co-operative Bank refunding ALL my bank charges over the last 3 months - to the last penny... All it took was ONE letter and 3 weeks - they didn't even get in touch, they just did it! I'm quite chuffed... The key paragraph I included went like this... "I cannot afford these charges and believe they are disproportionate to the actual cost to you. If you disagree, please provide a full breakdown of the costs..... bank charges are not legally enforceable and the Office of Fair Trading ruled on April 6th 2006 that such expensive penalties are 'unfair'. Penalty clauses in contracts in English law for breach of contract aren’t legal if the penalty exceeds the actual cost of the breach of either party. Your charges therefore breach the 1977 Unfair Terms Act and the 1999 Consumer Credit Act. " Tom.G