NatWest IT Failure Caused By Payments Software Upgrade
RBS says a software upgrade is what has caused so many problems for NatWest customers
RBS has confirmed a payments software upgrade was the cause of an IT failure that left millions of NatWest customers unable to make transfers or tell if their bank accounts had the correct funds.
Problems began last Tuesday, but have continued through to today, even though RBS claimed to have fixed the glitch on Friday. The banking giant is now addressing the backlog of payments.
NatWest branches were opened on Sunday, having been opened early and closed late last week. Over 200 branches are to stay open from 8am to 7pm on Monday.
Opening hours extended
“Our branches opened early this morning and our phone lines are open as usual. We are checking our systems this morning and speaking to customers. We will provide an update on our progress later today,” a spokesperson said.
Customers have complained of not receiving wages and being unable to transfer money, whilst many were simply worried they would not be able to buy basic provisions.
On Sunday, RBS said it was cautiously optimistic that account balances would be largely back to normal on Monday. It committed to automatically waiving overdraft fees or charges for customers affected, saying it was working with credit agencies to ensure no one had their credit score affected.
Stephen Hester, the chief executive of the RBS Group, has also apologised for the outage.
“Our customers rely on us day in and day out to get things right, and on this occasion we have let them down. This should not have happened,” Hester said.
“Right now my top priority, and the priority of the entire RBS Group, is to fix these problems and put things right for our customers.
“This is taking time, but I want to reassure people that we are working around the clock to resolve these problems as quickly as we are able.
“I also want to reassure customers that no one will be left permanently out of pocket as a result of this, and again, they should contact us directly about this.”
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