Thousands of savers have been told they will have to wait a further six months to discover if they will receive compensation over unfair overdraft charges. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has revealed it is to extend the waiver that allows banks not to pay out on claims, having initially introduced it in July 2007. The waiver had been set to expire on Monday, but with the court case far from complete, the FSA has allowed banks to put claims on hold for another six months.
The waiver applies to 98 per cent of banks and building societies according to the FSA, with the Financial Ombudsman Service agreeing not to proceed with any complaints during the period.
Martin Lewis, of MoneySavingExpert.com, said This means people are still sitting on their hands, unable to try to reclaim money which was taken from their accounts without their permission, while the banks continue to make hundreds of millions of pounds in charges and take bailouts from the Government. Paying out to consumers now could free up cash for spending to boost the economy, but how long are people expected to wait?






