Computer problem hits credit cards

UP TO 14 MILLION credit card customers in Britain may receive faulty statements because of teething problems in a new computer program controlling most of the country's cards, writes Steve Boggan.

Customers of the National Westminster, Midland, the TSB, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds banks have been affected by the changeover of software installed by First Data Resources, based in Essex. The program, fed into the company's computers between 17 and 23 July, was designed to provide more services and speed up transactions. Instead, many customers will find it has posted incorrect interest charges, initiated embarrassing credit refusals and confiscated some cards in cash machines.

National Westminster is writing to more than 5 million of its customers this week explaining that there may be errors in statements but promising that they will be put right automatically.