Bank glitch on payday sees money ‘vanish’ for thousands

THOUSANDS of Lloyds, Halifax, RBS and NatWest customers yesterday saw money disappear and were locked out of their accounts following a technical glitch.

On what was payday for millions, NatWest customers reported their money apparently vanishing when they tried to transfer cash or pay a bill.

Problems with the bank’s mobile app meant some could not access their accounts at all. Its parent company RBS also suffered system problems.

A separate issue at Lloyds and Halifax meant customers could not log in to their online banking, leaving some worried they would have no access to money for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Problems began around 8am

‘No one left out of pocket’

and had not been fully resolved last night.

Lloyds wrote on Twitter: ‘We’re aware that some customers are experiencing problems and are working to resolve them. In the meantime, as the issues are intermittent, please continue to try logging on.’

Angry customers vented their frustrations on social media, with one calling the situation ‘dreadful’. Others complained about being kept on hold when they called bank helplines.

Problems began at NatWest yesterday at around 8am and were finally resolved at 3.15pm.

A spokesman apologised ‘for any inconvenience’, and promised that no customer would be left out of pocket.

A spokesman for Lloyds Banking Group – which also owns Halifax – also apologised for inconveniencing customers.

Such computer gitches are not unheard of.

In 2014, Royal Bank of Scotland was fined £56million by the City regulator after a technical fault in 2012 left millions of customers unable to access their accounts for weeks.