As a consumer, you have the right to be treated fairly by the banks, insurers and other financial institutions that you deal with. Sadly, this doesn't always happen, and thousands of people end up being unfairly charged or ripped off every year.  Consumers are suffering, especially those already facing debt problems.

However, the law is changing and these unfair institutions are now being exposed and forced to reimburse dissatisfied consumers. It could be that you too are owed money from bank and credit card charges, mis-sold insurance and mortgage exit fees, but how do you go about reclaiming it?

The following are some tips to start you off on reclaiming bank and credit card charges:

• Bank Charges

Banks and building societies have been charging penalty fees for going over your overdraft for years, but many customers are now reclaiming their money after a recent campaign highlighted the issue. The banks and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are currently locked in a court battle over whether customers can reclaim overdraft charges, but this will hopefully be resolved soon. You can still put in a claim with the Financial Ombudsman, however, so that your case will be in the queue should the OFT emerge victorious.

• Credit card charges

These are similar to bank charges, except for the fact that you have the legal right to complain. Credit card providers may tell you that they cannot deal with your complaint due to the on-going bank charges court case, but this only applies to current accounts with agreed overdrafts. You need to write to your provider, informing them of their mistake. If they refuse to handle your case, your next port of call should be the Financial Ombudsman.

See pt.2 for information on reclaiming mis-sold insurance and unfair mortgage exit fees.