An Armstrong County resident is seeking class action certification of a lawsuit she filed against NexTier Bank that claims the bank improperly and excessively charges overdraft and transaction fees.

Diana Heuser, of Templeton, Armstrong County, filed the suit in Butler County Common Pleas Court and requested the court accept it as a class action on behalf of all of the bank's customers living in Pennsylvania who were assessed the fees.

The suit filed in February claims NexTier charges multiple fees for account overdrafts, charges overdraft fees on debit card transactions when insufficient funds are available to cover the transaction and charges foreign transaction fees on transactions made in the United States.

The bank provided a statement in response to the suit:

“NexTier Bank has taken great pride in providing high-quality banking products and services to our customers and community partners for over 125 years. NexTier Bank always has and continues to comply with all safety and soundness, banking regulations, and consumer protection laws.

“While we can't comment directly about the ongoing litigation, we believe the plaintiff’s claims are without merit and we intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit. NexTier Bank's focus is always on the customers and communities we serve. We strive to communicate directly with our customers to assist them in finding banking solutions that meet their specific needs.”