Light has been shed on the bank's strategy if it were to lose the current penalty charges test case in the High Court.
A leaked bank document has revealed that RBS could be planning to refund customers if it loses the current High Court bank charges test case.
According to the plans, overdraft fees previously levied by the bank would be "proactively" returned to the customers - at a potential cost running into the millions, the BBC reports. Currently, RBS, along with seven other financial firms, is involved in the High Court test case, which is designed to decide whether or not the Office of Fair Trading can decide on the fairness of the penalty charges.
The fees, which come to around £30 each for offences including exceeding an overdraft limit, have previously been criticised by consumer groups for being excessive. It is also thought likely that the OFT would find in favour of customers rather than banks on the subject of charges - making a favourable verdict in the High Court especially important for the financial firms.
However, the existence of the document could suggest that, if the verdict goes against RBS, it will not be seeking further appeals. "All customer accounts that are due a refund will be calculated as accurately as possible," the bank document says. "Any monies will be accurately accounted for and reconciled."
Speaking to the BBC, an RBS spokesman commented: "This work stream has absolutely no bearing on how we see the outcome of the test case… With an organisation of our size and our different brands, complying with these requirements demands careful contingency planning and this document merely confirms that RBS is taking its obligations in this respect seriously as it has done throughout the whole test case process."
