Court adjourns bank charges case

A barrister, Tom Brennan, is claiming damages from the bank for levying penalty fees he says were unlawful.

He was charged a total of £2,500 by the NatWest for unauthorised overdrafts when he was a law student.

City of London County Court Judge Peter Simpson adjourned the hearing until 30 April to allow a full day to be set aside to hear the arguments.

The judge said the issues were "extremely important" but the two hours set aside to hear the case would not be sufficient.

Outside the court, Mr Brennan said he was very disappointed at this latest delay as it was to his disadvantage.

"It should be noted that any delay is going to assist the defendants because only six years of charges can be made," he said.

"Every day that passes, more money is being saved by the bank," he added.

Settlement

In an attempt to settle the case, NatWest has refunded Mr Brennan's penalty charges, and offered to pay him £1,500 extra if he does not take the case to court.

Mr Brennan has refused to accept this and is pursuing his claim for exemplary and aggravated damages to punish the bank for what he claims was the unlawful seizure of his money, causing him economic harm.

The court hearing, which will now take place on 30 April, will not be a hearing of the full case.

It will be to establish, first of all, whether Mr Brennan does in fact have the right to claim these extra damages.