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03/07/2012
Ulster Bank Customers 'May Need Stormont Help'
The Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) has said people affected by the ongoing Ulster Bank crisis may need to turn to Stormont for help.
Following a technical glitch on June 20, two weeks ago, customers have experienced problems accessing their accounts and spending wages and benefits.
Derek Alcorn of the CAB said people would be in "real hardship" if the problems persisted into the July holiday period, and the Department for Social Development should consider "contingency plans" for getting money to benefits claimants, using giros or other systems that would bypass the troubled bank.
But Stephen Cruise of Ulster Bank said the bank had already "paid out millions of pounds in benefits over the past 16 days to individuals who have come in to our counters".
He was vague about when the problems would be resolved, saying: "We'll break the back of it next week".
Mr Cruise said the problems persisted at Ulster Bank, although they were cleared up days ago at RBS and NatWest, because RBS was the "original brand" and the backlog had to be worked through "in sequential order".
Yesterday, the Chairman of the RBS Group, Sir Philip Hampton, visited Northern Ireland to discuss the crisis.
He met with Finance Minister Sammy Wilson at Stormont and told him the bank was "on course to solve the problem".
Mr Wilson said: "I relayed to Sir Philip our disappointment that several public assurances as to when the problem would be fixed have come and gone with no definite date for when the system will be back to normal. This has been a communications disaster by Ulster Bank leading to the widely held view that Northern Ireland customers have been treated as second class within the RBS Group."
(NE/GK)
Following a technical glitch on June 20, two weeks ago, customers have experienced problems accessing their accounts and spending wages and benefits.
Derek Alcorn of the CAB said people would be in "real hardship" if the problems persisted into the July holiday period, and the Department for Social Development should consider "contingency plans" for getting money to benefits claimants, using giros or other systems that would bypass the troubled bank.
But Stephen Cruise of Ulster Bank said the bank had already "paid out millions of pounds in benefits over the past 16 days to individuals who have come in to our counters".
He was vague about when the problems would be resolved, saying: "We'll break the back of it next week".
Mr Cruise said the problems persisted at Ulster Bank, although they were cleared up days ago at RBS and NatWest, because RBS was the "original brand" and the backlog had to be worked through "in sequential order".
Yesterday, the Chairman of the RBS Group, Sir Philip Hampton, visited Northern Ireland to discuss the crisis.
He met with Finance Minister Sammy Wilson at Stormont and told him the bank was "on course to solve the problem".
Mr Wilson said: "I relayed to Sir Philip our disappointment that several public assurances as to when the problem would be fixed have come and gone with no definite date for when the system will be back to normal. This has been a communications disaster by Ulster Bank leading to the widely held view that Northern Ireland customers have been treated as second class within the RBS Group."
(NE/GK)
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RBS Group has been accused of putting Northern Ireland customers "to the back of the queue" as they face entering a third week of account problems at Ulster Bank. NI Shadow Secretary of State Vernon Coaker said the banking group, which owns Ulster Bank, had "serious questions" to answer for the way customers here have been treated.
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24 April 2014
Further Problems For Ulster Bank
Ulster Bank customers are once again facing issues with their accounts. In a statement, the bank confirmed it was having problems with its computer systems. It is understood the issue first occurred on Easter Monday and into Easter Tuesday.
Further Problems For Ulster Bank
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27 June 2012
Ulster Bank Problems Drag On
Banking chaos caused by a technical failure is set to run on and on. A software update went wrong at RBS early last week, affecting 100,000 Ulster Bank customers. Now a Belfast newspaper has learned things may not be back to normal even by this Friday.
Ulster Bank Problems Drag On
Banking chaos caused by a technical failure is set to run on and on. A software update went wrong at RBS early last week, affecting 100,000 Ulster Bank customers. Now a Belfast newspaper has learned things may not be back to normal even by this Friday.
07 March 2013
Ulster Bank Apologises Over Glitch
The Ulster Bank has been forced to apologise to customers following problems with bank cards and online transactions. RBS, the bank's parent company, says the problem has been resolved, but many people have since reported problems are still occurring.
Ulster Bank Apologises Over Glitch
The Ulster Bank has been forced to apologise to customers following problems with bank cards and online transactions. RBS, the bank's parent company, says the problem has been resolved, but many people have since reported problems are still occurring.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A largely cloudy day with occasional rain. Turning drier and brighter for a time in the afternoon and feeling very mild. Light southerly winds becoming strong with gales later along the County Down coast. Maximum temperature 13 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, these heavy at times. Strong southerly winds, with gales in the evening across eastern counties, becoming westerly later. Minimum temperature 8 °C.
