in the customer's account resulting in an overdraft which is then covered by a credit that posts to the account during the same business day. Whether this actually results in overdraft fees depends on the deposit-account holder agreement of the particular bank. Merchant overdraft – An unsecured overdraft offered by financial institutions to a merchant, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft limit, which is usually of very high value. United Kingdom Banks in the UK normally offer an overdraft facility free of charge, subject to a pre-arranged limit (formerly known as an authorized overdraft limit). Interest, fees or both would normally be charged if the facility is used but accounts may have an interest-free buffer of a few tens of pounds or a higher deliberate feature of a few hundred pounds interest free. When a transaction would exceed the previously agreed overdraft limit the bank can choose either to decline the transaction or to accept it as an informal request for an increase, formerly often known as an unauthorized overdraft. Charges and interest rates for informal increases will often exceed those for a formal request. There is also normally a fee per declined transaction, often subject to monthly caps. Usually, the bank sends out a letter informing the customer of the charge and requesting that the account be operated within its limits from that point onwards or informing the customer of their new limit. In a BBC Whistleblower programme on the practice, it was noted that the actual cost to the bank was less than two pounds.Does overdraft affect credit score ? 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. Amount of fees Pre April 2020 No major UK bank completely dropped informal overdraft charges. Some, however, offered a "buffer zone", where customers will not be charged if they are over their limit by less than a certain amount. Other banks tended to charge fees regardless of the amount of the level of the overdraft, which was seen by some as unfair. In response to criticism, Lloyds Banking Group changed its fee structure; rather than a