Unfair banking charges are crippling the nation's most vulnerable current account holders, it has been claimed.
The National Consumer Council (NCC) has called for banks to be more transparent about the way they impose charges.
NCC chief executive Ed Mayo said people can find "navigating through the current account jungle" to be challenging.
He claimed that many people were reluctant to go through the current account switching process because of fears that their standing orders and direct debits would be disrupted, causing them financial difficulties.
Mr Mayo explained: "Those on low incomes or with limited banking experience are most likely to be adversely affected - for them a default charge of £39 is enough to push them into debt."
Recently, the Office of Fair Trading announced that it would be conducting a consultation on personal current accounts, including the imposition of penalty charges.
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