In its decision, numbered 128/2026, the court ordered the bank to immediately stop imposing the charge. The decision was declared provisionally enforceable, meaning that it applies without waiting for a final judgment.
‘EKPOIZO will continue with dedication and consistency its legal struggle for the prohibition, not only of the above, but also of many other abusive charges, which unfortunately reappear or spread in modern banking practices,’ the union stated.
According to EKPOIZO’s announcement, the bank had informed customers that their accounts would be converted into ‘privilege’ accounts, offering free services and transactions, but imposed a fixed monthly fee of €0.80 regardless of whether customers used those services. Consumers had to state within two months that they disagreed, otherwise the fee was applied automatically.
The court found that the bank’s information was misleading, as many of the services presented as ‘privileges’ were already provided free of charge, such as standing orders, IRIS transfers of up to €500 and the issuing of account copies. It also found a violation of the transparency and clear information obligations provided for under payment services legislation.
In addition, the court imposed a €50,000 fine on the bank and, according to EKPOIZO, National Bank must now reverse the charges imposed on consumers. The union called on all customers who were charged the fee to check their accounts and contact it for information and support.
In its full announcement, EKPOIZO described the decision as a landmark ruling on the illegal imposition of a monthly €0.80 fee on deposit accounts.
‘The decision is immediately enforceable,’ it stated.
‘The Athens Multi-Member Court of First Instance, with its decision number 128/2026, prohibits National Bank from imposing the monthly fee of €0.80 on its customers who maintain “Simple Savings” or “Simple Current” accounts with it. The decision was issued upon a representative action by EKPOIZO and the Multi-Member Court of First Instance declares it temporarily enforceable. Consequently, National Bank is obliged to immediately stop charging hundreds of thousands of deposit accounts to which it has imposed the monthly fee of €0.80.’
EKPOIZO said that National Bank, in letters sent last year to consumers who held the above deposit accounts, announced that it would convert them into ‘privilege’ accounts, meaning they would be able to carry out a series of transactions free of charge.
‘For this reason, their accounts would be charged €0.80 per month, regardless of whether the consumers made use of the alleged privileges. At the same time, it set them a two-month deadline to object to its letter, so that the charge and the “privilege” package would not apply. In fact, if the consumer held more than one account, the charge would be imposed on all of them,’ the union stated.
The Athens Multi-Member Court of First Instance ruled that the information provided by the bank to consumers in its letter was misleading. This was because a series of transactions included in the package, which the bank claimed could now be carried out free of charge, were already offered without any charge.
According to EKPOIZO, the bank presented as benefits of the privilege account services including standing orders or transfers for bill payments to various organisations, money transfers of up to €500 per day through IRIS Payments, the loading of a prepaid card regardless of the amount, and the issuing of an account copy. The court found that the automatic imposition of the charge further exacerbated the misleading nature of the information provided.
‘The court ruled that the bank violated its obligations of transparency and clear information under Law 4537/18 and Directive 2015/2366 on payment services. It therefore obliges the bank to cease charging consumers the above monthly charge. This is the first time, in fact, that a first-instance court decision on a representative action has already been declared provisionally enforceable. In addition, the court imposes a fine of €50,000 on the bank. Therefore, since the imposition of this charge was deemed illegal, National Bank must reverse the charges imposed on consumers due to the above illegal method,’ EKPOIZO stated.
The union particularly highlighted the fact that, systematically over the past year, banks have been treating consumers’ deposit accounts as payment accounts, seeking through misleading and opaque methods to impose ‘service packages’ for which consumers had expressed no interest, ultimately harming consumers’ deposit accounts.
EKPOIZO has also filed a representative lawsuit against another bank, for which a decision is pending, while it is already examining complaints about a third systemic bank that allegedly proceeded with the same charging practice, without providing any information to its customers.
‘EKPOIZO will continue with dedication and consistency its legal struggle for the prohibition, not only of the above, but also of many other abusive charges, which unfortunately reappear or spread in modern banking practices. It calls on the competent authorities, and in particular the Independent Market Supervision and Consumer Protection Authority, to finally exercise their supervisory and sanctioning powers and not to behave as observers,’ the union stated.
‘We inform consumers who have been charged €0.80 to check their accounts for the reversal of the illegal charge and to contact us for more information and updates,’ EKPOIZO concluded.
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