Sinclairs Solicitors Unlawful Bank Charges Department.

With the necessary expertise in contract and consumer law, the Unlawful Bank Charges team can help you claim a refund for the unlawful charges your bank has charged you for e.g. exceeding your overdraft limit, unauthorised overdrafts, bounced cheques, unpaid direct debits/standing orders. These bank charges are unlawful as they bear no relation to the cost of the service being provided by the bank. Although the subject of this matter has been widely exposed in the media, a lot of people do not realise that they are entitled to claim back their charges from as far back as 6 years from the date of their claim.

Our Unlawful Bank Charges team can also help you claim your credit card late payment fees.

We also offer a service where we can claim for your Mortgage Exit Administration (MEA) Fees. The lenders charge MEA Fees for the administrative work they have to do when you e.g. switch mortgages or pay off your mortgage early . We can help you claim a refund if your lender charged you a higher MEA fee than the agreed amount in your mortgage deed. If there was no agreed amount, then we can help you claim the whole fee back.

In some cases, it is also possible to claim back Early Redemption Penalties. These are fees payable should you redeem your loan/mortgage before it comes to term. These penalties are levied if, for instance, you close your mortgage within a special interest-rate period. The Office of Fair Trading has decided that some penalty clauses are so severe as to be "unfair". This makes them unenforceable. These clauses are contrary to contract law if the lender cannot explain how much the early redemption costs them. The penalty must be proprotionate.

Although it is possible to claim for the unfair bank charges you have paid yourself, it is always good to have professional guidance throughout as the matter could go to Court. We will make sure that the amount you are entitled to claim is correct and we will manage all the intimidating banking procedures and communications for you. All information provided to us will remain confidential throughout the case.

We work on a no win no fee basis. We charge a fee of 25% (of the amount of successfully claimed) plus VAT (minimum £100). There are no upfront charges, although your bank will charge a fee if you do not hold your bank statements.