More banks can expect class action proceedings over penalty fees to begin by the end of 2011 - more than a year after a test case was first initiated against ANZ.Litigation funder IMF (Australia), which is running the ANZ case, together with law firm Maurice Blackburn, said in a media release that it would issue proceedings "against a number of other banks in the coming weeks".Through subsidiary Financial Redress, IMF has collated a database of more than 200,000 bank customers willing to support class actions against banks and credit card companies. The actions will challenge the validity of the penalty fees (such as late payment fees, overdrawn fees and dishonour fees) that are a common feature of everyday transaction accounts and credit cards.IMF engineered two rounds of mostly favourable media coverage, in early and late 2010, in its quest for recruits to what at the time was promoted as a series of class actions against a dozen local and international banks, as well as credit card firms.By the end of 2010 only one such action was underway, the one against ANZ. A preliminary legal ruling in that action was released yesterday and is reported in a separate article today.Those funding the class action (and who would share in one quarter of the proceeds of any damages) may need to get a move on.Assuming the usual six-year statute of limitations applies to these cases, the value of any damages is reducing.In late 2009 all banks followed the lead of National Australia Bank and reduced (and, in some cases, eliminated) what the banks prefer to describe as exception fees.According to data published by the Australian Bankers Association, the industry collected A$764 million in exception fees in 2010, which was down $717 million on the 2009 take of $1.48 billion.Andrew Watson, a partner at Maurice Blackburn, said yesterday that in respect of actions against other banks "we will move with alacrity".Watson also said he contested any assumption that there was a time limit on claims against banks over penalty fees.Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and Westpac can all expect to be subject to class actions given the size of their customer lists and the value of potential damages. Other potential targets listed on the website of Financial Redress include the Bank of Queensland, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Citibank, HSBC and Suncorp.