Signature Drinks 울산

Lucky Feet Shhoes Palm Desert
72345 CΑ-111,
Palm Desert, ⲤА 92260, United States
+17606663939
tailor bunion shoes

Caribbean Beach Vacations - Top 10 Destinations 알밤

You can definitely see your skills within the article
you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren't afraid to
say how they believe. All the time follow your heart.

NatWest banking meltdown: Millions of customers unable to move money or pay bills
as accounts freeze and wage payments fail to arrive


Woman is stranded in Italy after NatWest card failed

1,000 branches to stay open until 7pm to help customers

Bank says no customers would be 'permanently out of
pocket' but says nothing on covering penalty charges

Experts warn more problems ahead for all UK banks in rush to offer new
sophisticated payment methods

By ANDREW OXLADE and YASMIN LAGGOUNE and CAMILLA CANOCCHI

Updated: 20:13 GMT, 21 June 2012











38

View
comments

NatWest customers were unable to move money or pay bills from
their accounts today as a huge technical failure hit services.


Others reported being unable to withdraw money because wages had failed to arrive in their accounts.


As many as eight million people may have been affected, although some
were reporting they still had access to their money.




Disruption: Natwest customers reported problems with the bank's online services

Account balances were also not being updated while some small business owners said they had been unable to
pay staff.

The banking group apologised to its customers for the problems and said
it was working hard to fix them.

But a spokesman admitted it was possible that the glitch
could also affect customers expecting payments to be made
into their accounts tonight.

Asked whether it was possible that more account-holders will encounter problems tomorrow, the
spokesman replied: 'Potentially, but hopefully not.'

The bank promised to keep 1,000 branches open until 7pm
tonight in all major towns and cities to 'assist customers'.



One branch in West London had closed its doors with only two
members of staff outside telling customers that they would not know
until tomorrow when services would be restored. They also said NatWest customers should only use the
bank's own ATMs to guarantee being able to get money out.


NatWest, which carries the new ad slogan 'Helpful Banking',
has not said whether it will cover penalties imposed on its customers
by third parties for late payments on credit cards and bills.



WAS NATWEST'S NEW MOBILE PAYMENTS GIZMO TO BLAME?

Last Wednesday, NatWest heralded a leap forward for its mobile phone payment technology.


It launched a system - GetCash - that would allow people to take cash from an ATM without using their cash card, by making a request
on their handset.

They are sent a six digit pin number, after making the request,
which can be entered at a cash machine.

The aim, the bank said, was to help people who may
have lost or forgotten their card or those who want to leave their wallet at home.



It was made available to around two and-a-half million customers who already have the banking app on their phone - on iPhone, Android or BlackBerry Smartphones, and on the
iPad.

The launch comment from Ben Green, head of mobile
at NatWest and RBS, well now have a sense or irony: 'We've heard
countless stories from customers who've left their
wallet behind, or parents who need a quick way to send money across to their children immediately.'



NatWest, which is the main branch operation in the UK for the part-nationalised Royal Bank of
Scotland group, said in a statement: 'This is a technical problem affecting
a large number of NatWest and Ulster Bank customers, and a small number of RBS customers,
including some of our business customers. 

'It was caused by a failure of our systems to properly update customers' balances overnight.
The main problem customers are having is that where people have had money go into their accounts overnight, there
may be a delay in it showing up on their balance.


'This is an unacceptable inconvenience for our customers, for which we apologise.
We can assure our customers that this problem is strictly of a technical nature and will be fixed as soon as possible.

We can also confirm that no customers will be permanently out of pocket as a result of this.'

A spokeswoman declined to comment on whether this would also mean the bank
would cover late payment penalties incurred as result of the account failures.


The RBS group has 26million customers in the UK with nearly eight million holding NatWest current accounts.


RBS-owned Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, with 100,000 customers, is also affected. 

The problems began at 8am, according to reports from customers.


Hundreds of customers turned to NatWest's feedback website to voice their anger.

One customer wrote: 'If my Direct Debits bounce as a result of my wages not showing,
are you going to cover my charges & waiver your own for bounced payments please?'

At 2.50pm, nearly seven hours after the problems began, NatWest added a statement to the page saying: 'We continue to experience technical issues and are doing
everything we can to resolve ASAP.

'We recognise this has caused significant inconvenience.
This is an unacceptable inconvenience for our customers for which we apologise.'

Bob Spearman, from Petworth, West Sussex, told the BBC his
tax credit payment had not been paid into his NatWest account.


'We, like many other low-income families, live from week to week and the
Child Tax Credit weekly payment is a lifeline on which we rely,' he said.


Thousands more comments were posted on Twitter.

Some people reported being unable to use their cards to make payments.



Customer Kora-Lee Holmes said she was stranded in Venice, Italy, because she was unable to check out of her hotel because her NatWest
card was not working.

She wrote: 'Missed my flight home from Venice because Natwest's server problems mean I
can't check out of my hotel. New flights = £200.'

From 3.30pm, some customers reported that payments and salary payments were beginning
to show in accounts.

Following a breakdown in trust in banking, the industry has try to rebuilt its relationship with customers in recent years.
NatWest launched a multi-million pound advertising campaign in 2010 to promote its Customer Charter.


The 14-point charter included the commitment: 'If we make a mistake we will apologise and fix it,
quickly and fairly.'

That may give hope to those seeking compensation for late payment penalties that they
may face.

RBS shares shed 6p, or nearly 2.5 per cent, as
the events unfolded, down from an intra-day high of 250p at midday.




Helpful Banking: The 'Your Ideas' feedback page on the NatWest website


'More problems ahead for all British banks'

Last week, RBS-NatWest launched a mobile banking app that lets people to withdraw money from cash machines using their smartphone.


It is the latest bank to offer such technology as the industry
moves towards making smartphones digital wallets.

But the rush to offer new technology may come at a price.



Experts warned that customers of UK banks would increasingly face such problems
because of the rush to deliver new and evermore sophisticated services.


Daoud Fakhri, senior analyst at consultancy Datamonitor Financial Services, said: ‘This episode is emblematic
of wider problems facing the banking sector as a whole.


'Many providers, being early adopters of IT systems when the technology was still in its
infancy, have been left saddled with inflexible core systems that
are often several decades old, and that are increasingly unable to cope with
the demands being placed on them.

‘The growing expectations of consumers around online and mobile banking means that the tensions between the provision of ever
more sophisticated services and the capability of core systems to satisfy these demands are close to
breaking point, and this increases the likelihood of episodes such as
the NatWest mishap happening again.'