RBS admits problems with its computer system will not be properly fixed for days

 

Problems with the computer system at RBS Group
will not be properly fixed for days, the taxpayer-controlled banking giant
admitted today.

To rising frustration among account-holders whose funds have been frozen since last Wednesday, the £6bn-a-year group said that it was still struggling to restore a full service to its 17 million customers.

Customers of the group’s three retail brands, RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank, have been hit by a calamitous computer upgrade that left them unable to withdraw money, delaying some home moves and disrupting others' holidays.

RBS Group said the vast majority of NatWest and RBS accounts affected were not free from disruption, but it admitted that some were still experiencing difficulties – along with 100,000 Ulster Bank customers.

A spokesman said: “We can confirm that the small amount of outstanding unprocessed transactions continues to reduce, and significant further progress is expected. As previously cautioned, however, progress towards a completely normal service is likely to be affected by the significant stress on the system over recent days.”

The group - 82 per cent owned by the state after a multi-billion pound bailout in 2008 – hoped to restore a normal service by Monday.

In an attempt to sort out the mess, the group has cancelled corporate hospitality at Wimbledon, extended branch hours and doubled the number of call centre staff.

Speculation has mounted over the cause of the problem, with unconfirmed reports pointing the finger at an inexperienced technician in India, where RBS has recently outsourced work.

Patience was wearing thin among some customers. One wrote on NatWest's website: “Since last Tuesday not been able to access (my) account balance at all from my local cashpoint. Keeps telling me: 'Contact your bank'. Not easy when every other customer is trying to do the same. Card and service useless…”

Another said they had endured ”eight days of hassle“ and were still waiting for money to be credited.

The customer wrote: ”I have kept calm for eight days but I'm getting rather sick off it now.“

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights half-board from £749pp Find out more
Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast
Seven nights half-board from only £859pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from only £199pp Find out more
 
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Senior Electrical Engineering Consultant – Renewable Energy Grid Connections.

Negotiable Depending on Experience: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green R...

BREEAM Consultant

£25000 - £30000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...

Design Engineer - ProE, Hand Calcs

Negotiable: Progressive Recruitment: Dear Sumadhab, A growing engineering comp...

Year 6 Teacher / Year Group Leader

Negotiable: Randstad Education Ilford: We are currently recruiting for a Year ...

Day In a Page

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong': The true effect of the badger cull

The true effect of the badger cull

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
Theatre review: Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's The Cripple of Inishmaan

First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
Girls Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
Steve Tongue: Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago

Steve Tongue

Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Bradley Wiggins' exit

Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit

Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
Hannah England: I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess

Hannah England: Keeping Track

I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
Beards, brawn and body art

Beards, brawn and body art

Meet London’s new batch of male models
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?

The Great Green Wall of Africa,

Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Laughter Inc: the cheering growth of the chuckle industry

Laughter Inc

The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
The bad science scandal: how fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research

The bad science scandal

How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
To the manor born: The female aristocrats battling to inherit the title

Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title

A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
Love struck: Photographs of JFK's visit to Berlin 50 years ago reveal a nation instantly smitten

In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963

Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends