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| NatWest apologises as banking app goes offline | NatWest apologises as banking app goes offline |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| NatWest has apologised after customers were left unable to use its mobile banking app in the UK, preventing some from accessing their bank accounts. | |
| More than 3,000 people have reported problems on outage-checking site Downdetector since the issues first emerged at 0910 GMT. | |
| The firm said on its service status website that its online banking service was still working normally - though this has been disputed by some customers. Card payments are unaffected. | |
| "We are aware that customers are experiencing difficulties accessing the NatWest mobile banking app this morning," a NatWest spokesperson told the BBC. | "We are aware that customers are experiencing difficulties accessing the NatWest mobile banking app this morning," a NatWest spokesperson told the BBC. |
| "We're really sorry about this and working to fix it as quickly as possible." | "We're really sorry about this and working to fix it as quickly as possible." |
| People saw this message when trying to use online banking on Friday | |
| Customers have taken to social media to complain about the impact the IT failure is having on them. | Customers have taken to social media to complain about the impact the IT failure is having on them. |
| One person said they had to "put back my shopping because of it", while another said they were "waiting to go shopping" but couldn't transfer money to do so. | One person said they had to "put back my shopping because of it", while another said they were "waiting to go shopping" but couldn't transfer money to do so. |
| NatWest has advised customers on social media that it has "no timeframe" for a fix, but said its team is "working hard" to resolve it. | NatWest has advised customers on social media that it has "no timeframe" for a fix, but said its team is "working hard" to resolve it. |
| Customers are being advised to access their accounts in other ways if they can - such as through online banking. | Customers are being advised to access their accounts in other ways if they can - such as through online banking. |
| However, some people have reported problems with NatWest's online service too, with one sharing an error message which they said was displayed when they tried to make a payment. | |
| Others have expressed frustration with the bank's response, with one saying it was "disgraceful" there was no timeframe, while another called it "very poor service". | |
| "What I don't get is the bank closes loads of branches 'to save money' and forcing people to rely on the app and online banking... but clearly hasn't invested in a system that works properly," one angry customer said. | |
| A recurring problem | |
| This is the latest in a long line of banking outages. | This is the latest in a long line of banking outages. |
| In May, a number of major banks disclosed that 1.2m people were affected by them in the UK in 2024. | In May, a number of major banks disclosed that 1.2m people were affected by them in the UK in 2024. |
| According to a report in March, nine major banks and building societies have had around 803 hours - the equivalent of 33 days - of tech outages since 2023. | According to a report in March, nine major banks and building societies have had around 803 hours - the equivalent of 33 days - of tech outages since 2023. |
| Inconvenient for customers, outages come at a cost to the banks, too. | Inconvenient for customers, outages come at a cost to the banks, too. |
| The Commons Treasury Committee found Barclays could face compensation payments of £12.5m over outages since 2023. | The Commons Treasury Committee found Barclays could face compensation payments of £12.5m over outages since 2023. |
| Over the same period, Natwest has paid £348,000, HSBC has paid £232,697, and Lloyds has paid £160,000. | Over the same period, Natwest has paid £348,000, HSBC has paid £232,697, and Lloyds has paid £160,000. |
| Other banks have paid smaller sums. | Other banks have paid smaller sums. |
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