Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government is taking steps to prevent people from incurring debt as a result of overdraft charges.

Decisions on overdraft fees and charges are a commercial matter for firms. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires firms to treat their customers fairly and has broad and robust powers to enforce breaches of its rules.

In its July 2017 review of high-cost credit, the FCA concluded that it had concerns about both arranged and unarranged overdrafts. On 31 January 2018 the FCA published an update on its review, confirming it had seen evidence of consumer harm and would be undertaking further analysis to identify the extent of that harm, and how it might be resolved. The FCA has committed to publishing the results of this analysis in May 2018. The FCA also confirmed that overdrafts would be considered as part of its wider Strategic Review of Retail Business Banking Models and that it would look to consult on any further remedies towards the end of 2018, taking into account the findings of the Strategic Review.

The Government supports the FCA’s work in this area and will continue to work with it to ensure that all consumers who use high-cost credit products are treated fairly.