More than 1.2 million Bank of Ireland customers are still experiencing difficulties withdrawing money by ATM, online and in branches.
The bank, which originally said the problem would be resolved at lunchtime, now says it is “hopeful” of getting it sorted out this evening.
A spokeswoman said the problem was caused by a mainframe computer problem which led to customers’ balances being unreadable. The fault has knocked out the bank’s internet and phone banking services.
Customers attempting to withdraw larger amounts of money from ATMs – up to €400 - have been told they have exceeded their daily limit, even in cases where they have not made a withdrawal. There is restricted access to smaller amounts of cash.
The spokeswoman said the problem was caused by an “unforeseen technical issue” which disrupted access to internet and phone banking. This meant that ATMs were working offline and did not have up-to-date information about current balances. As a result, the teller machines severely reduced the amount of cash dispensed to each customer.
“It’s definitely a technical issue, and has nothing to do with money,” she said.
The amount ATMs are currently dispensing varies according to the customer, she said. Only Bank of Ireland customers are affected.
Bank of Ireland debit card holders are unable to withdraw money from any ATM, while customers of other banks are able to withdraw money from Bank of Ireland ATMs.
The glitch has also affected withdrawals from bank branches but credit card purchases with Bank of Ireland cards are not affected. The spokeswoman said some customers were able to withdraw money where they were known to branch staff.
“We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience they are experiencing and wish to assure them that we are working with our IT partners to ensure that all services are reinstated as a priority.”
Later this evening rumours then spread that the same ATMs which had been so shy about giving money earlier in the day were now spewing out bills.
Large queues formed at ATM machines after reports the machines were giving out cash even to customers without sufficient funds in their account.