Banned for life - for having 11p overdraft

Bank bosses have banned a teenager from having an account for life after he ran up an overdraft - of just 11 pence.

Hard-working Jerome Jacob, who holds down two part-time jobs in between studying for his GCSEs, was told he was no longer welcome at the HSBC despite offering to repay the money.

The 15-year-old vicar's son went into the red when he bought a football magazine using his debit card - even though he had been told that would be impossible when he opened the account.

When he went into his local branch to settle his debt he was shocked to hear he would not be able to have an account there ever again.

He was even described by one member of staff as a "liability".

Now bank chiefs have launched an investigation after admitting such a small overspend would not normally have triggered the closure of an account.