<P> Accounts exist with overdraft protection facilities which guarantee that the bank will not allow an informal overdraft and which may have lower charges for refusing transactions, protecting the customer from the interest and charges which would be incurred if an overdraft was granted . Accounts for those under eighteen years old will not normally permit an overdraft to be created . </P> <P> No major UK bank has completely dropped informal overdraft charges . Some, however, offer a "buffer zone", where customers will not be charged if they are over their limit by less than a certain amount . Other banks tend to charge fees regardless of the amount of the level of the overdraft, which is seen by some as unfair . In response to criticism, Lloyds Banking Group changed its fee structure; rather than a single monthly fee for an unauthorized overdraft, they now charge per day . They also allow a' grace period' where you can pay money in before 2: 30pm (Mon--Fri) before any items are returned or any bank charges incurred (with exception from standing orders which debit at beginning of working day). Lloyds TSB allows their customers, if they have gone into an unplanned overdraft on a Friday for example, to pay money in before 10am on Monday morning and the daily fees for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) to be waived . This, however, does need to be cleared funds . Alliance & Leicester formerly had a buffer zone facility (marketed as a "last few pounds" feature of their account), but this has been withdrawn . </P> <P> In general, the fee charged for an informal request is between twenty - five and thirty pounds, along with an increased rate of debit interest . The charges for cheques and Direct Debits which are refused (or "bounced") due to insufficient funds are usually the same as or slightly less than the general overdraft fees, and can be charged on top of them . A situation which has provoked much controversy is the bank declining a cheque / Direct Debit, levying a fee which takes the customer overdrawn and then charging them for going overdrawn . However, some banks, like Halifax, have a "no fees on fees" policy whereby an account that goes overdrawn solely because of an unpaid item fee will not be charged an additional fee . </P> <P> In 2006 the Office of Fair Trading issued a statement which concluded that credit card issuers were levying penalty charges when customers exceeded their maximum spend limit and / or made late payments to their accounts . In the statement, the OFT recommended that credit card issuers set such fees at a maximum of £ 12 . </P>

How do you get out of an overdraft