STUDENT RENTS, MORTGAGES AND BASIC FAMILY NEEDS HIT BY GLITCH
MANY Ulster Bank customers found themselves unable to pay their bills or access their finances after an apparent IT failure within the bank.
NEERAJ SINGH
STUDENT Neeraj Singh said he was unable to pay his rent after his wages vanished from his account, causing significant stress to him and his pregnant girlfriend.
‘It’s a savings account with my partner,’ he explained. ‘She is also struggling with it.’
He added that his girlfriend, who is seven months pregnant, was forced to rush to Dublin this morning to try to resolve the issue.
Mr Singh, who is originally from India, came to Dublin to study business.
He lives in the capital during the week to attend classes and returns to his girlfriend in Cork at the weekend.
‘The rent is for the Cork house but when I have college on weekdays I stay in Dublin,’ he said.
Mr Singh said that he was worried about having to miss college to try and somehow get the funds that he needs to pay the rent.
‘I am going to the bank now just to see if they can give me €500,’ he said.
‘I am still in college and I have to leave early,’ he said.
‘I might lose my attendance for the class.’
CELESTE MCCREESH
CELESTE McCreesh, from Drogheda, Co. Louth, said she first became aware of the issue after she transferred money into her account to cover a direct-debit bill. Her husband later told her the funds had not been transferred.
McCreesh said that she is now concerned because she cannot check the balance in her account. ‘I used my account a few times this morning but funds were not taken from the account,’ she said. ‘To be honest, I don’t know where I am with funds/balance.’
She said she tried to contact the bank but gave up after waiting on hold for ten minutes and felt that it should have been more forthcoming in offering customers an explanation.
‘They’d be quick enough contacting me if I missed a payment or owed them money,’ she said, adding that she and her husband were now concerned that the couple’s salaries would not be credited in time for their mortgage payment which is due early next week.’
Ms McCreesh said she would be considering closing her accounts in the aftermath of the issue. ‘This is the second time that there’s been a major issue with things happening within Ulster Bank,’ she said, referring to another IT meltdown in 2012.
‘JACQUI’
ANOTHER young mother, who did not wish to be named, said that she had to borrow money from family for basic necessities, which she described as ‘embarrassing’.
‘This is disgusting; it’s twice now it’s happened. I woke up and my account was in minus figures,’ she said.
‘I have no trust in Ulster and will be taking my banking elsewhere once all my money is paid,’ she said.
‘I’ve had a bad experience with them in general over the last week and now my account is completely empty and there is no evidence of money that was there, not even a transactions showing the large sum of money going out, just nothing at all,’ she said.