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In this section

Miscellaneous summary

Banker of the week/year

Banker of the week

This page is used to highlight a particularly notable villainous act by a bank or building society and which deserves to be publicised. Each week, we will try and bring you a new example of villainy. Please email me with anything that you particularly think would merit inclusion on this page.

Then, at the end of 2007, we will put all the examples to the public to vote on who are the biggest bankers of the year.

For a full listing of bankers of the week, see previous winners.

Fourth villain of 2007: Alliance & Leicester

Alliance & Leicester are nominated for Banker of the Week for early February.

Mr and Mrs B wrote to Alliance & Leicester requesting a refund of their penalty charges. A&L, unsurprisingly, wrote back refusing their request and telling them that their charges were lawful, and that they were in line with the terms and conditions of the account etc. In other words, the usual sort of letter from a bank when you query their charges.

But what was a bit surprising was A&L's assertion that, "As yet, the OFT have not entered into discussions with the banking industry regarding current accounts."

The OFT told me, however, on 16 February, that "As we stated in our press release of 7th September, to which you refer in your e mail, we are holding discussions with the BBA. Alliance and Leicester are members of the BBA and as such are being represented in those discussions."

So, naughty Alliance & Leicester were not telling their customers the truth. I wonder if the writer of the A&L letter was aware of this untruth, or was it perhaps that she was being kept in the dark by her superiors?

See A&L letter below

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Published and promoted by Bob Egerton, TR2 4RS