U.S. District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico approved a class-action lawsuit against Northeast CU that accuses the credit union of imposing overdraft fees using customers' available balance as opposed to actual or ledger balance, Seacoastonline.com reported March 17.

The lawsuit, filed by Joseph Walbridge, claims that overdraft fees are the primary fee generators for banks and credit unions. The lawsuit accuses Northeast CU of creating an "artificial balance when determining whether to assess an overdraft fee," according to the news outlet.

Northeast CU's lead attorney said that the Portsmouth, N.H.-based credit union will "respond to the allegations in the federal lawsuit through appropriate pleadings, including an answer to be filed next week," according to Seacoastonline.com.