Some 78 per cent of British citizens have an agreed overdraft, according to daily city deals website Groupola.com, which could interest those seeking
bad credit credit cards.
On top of this, the site found that 24 per cent of these feel they could not live without their overdrafts.
However, 21 per cent of the respondents with an overdraft said that they only used it for emergencies.
Almost half of the people with overdrafts said that they had requested it, but 32 per cent said they felt forced into signing up for one.
Commenting on the survey's findings, Mark Pearson, chairman of Groupola.com, said: "Bank employees are set sales targets that they have to reach; unfortunately, these targets include things such as overdrafts."
"This is why it is then the consumer's responsibility to fully understand what they are signing up to and what they are committing to," he added.
Mr Pearson went on to say that people should do a bit of research before agreeing to open an account or get an overdraft.
Some six per cent of those with an overdraft claimed that they never needed it, but only two per cent said they had taken action to cancel an agreed overdraft limit.
Earlier this month, Lindsey Johnstone, writing in an article for The List, suggested that students should not feel overly concerned if they have to make use of their overdraft facility in their first year at university.
She advised them not to panic about being in debt and claimed that "every adult" has an overdraft.
Posted by Martin Peacock
