A significant UK high street bank has suffered a major outage, causing all transactions to go offline at a time when many people are receiving their pay and require access to funds. First Direct’s website currently displays the message ‘Online Banking Currently Unavailable’ for all customers.
The bank has issued an apology and stated that its technical teams are working diligently to restore services. A statement on X read: « We understand some customers are having issues accessing banking services right now. We’re really sorry and our team are working hard to get everything back up and running. We will share an update as soon as possible. »
Customers took to X to question whether the bank had been the victim of a cyber attack. One customer queried: « When you say ‘issues’ you mean problems don’t you? Because it is in fact completely impossible to access your systems. Better to be straight with your customers isn’t it? »
Another disgruntled customer, Grumpy, suggested: « Get a new outsourcing partner. Your services have fallen over more in the last 12 months than the previous 20 years. »
Andy asked: « How long is this going to take? my salary is due in and I need to move money around to ensure all my bills are paid on time. »
In a later update at 11.40am, First Direct announced that while most services were still down, some were ‘recovering’. The bank stated: « Service Update 11:40am: Services are now recovering, and we’ll continue to monitor closely. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. »
Financial institutions have been plagued by a series of technical failures over recent weeks. Earlier this month, Nationwide – Britain’s largest building society – suffered a complete breakdown of its mobile banking app and online services. The organisation issued an apology « for any problems this may cause » following the widespread disruption.
HSBC customers faced similar chaos at the end of August when the bank’s digital platforms crashed across the UK, leaving some locked out of their accounts for a gruelling five hours. Barclays also experienced a system meltdown at the beginning of September.
A customer service representative acknowledged the crisis at the time, stating: « We’re aware some customers are experiencing issues with our Mobile Banking app and Internet Banking. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and are working to resolve this as soon as possible. »
While banks aren’t obligated to offer compensation for service disruptions, customers who suffer financial losses may be entitled to reimbursement. For instance, if a bill payment fails due to a technical glitch and results in penalty charges, individuals should be able to reclaim those costs.
Anyone whose credit score has been damaged by a service outage – such as receiving late payment fees after being unable to complete transactions – should maintain detailed records of the incident.
