Nationwide working to fix delayed outgoing and incoming payments

Update 23/09/24 04:48 pm (IST): Nationwide customers are once again facing issues with delayed payments. Responding to complaints on X, the bank says, “We are aware of a delay affecting some payments to and from accounts. We’re working to fix this ASAP and are really sorry for any inconvenience caused. Direct Debits and standing orders are not impacted.”

Original article published on August 23, 2024, follows:

Nationwide, one of the UK’s largest building societies, is currently grappling with a significant technical issue causing delays to both outgoing and incoming payments. The problem, which emerged this morning, has left many customers frustrated and unable to access their funds or make timely bill payments.

According to Nationwide’s official status page, the bank is “working to get things back to normal as quickly as we can.” However, they have not provided an estimated timeline for resolution, leaving customers in limbo. Here’s a screenshot of the official status page at the time of writing:

The issue appears to be primarily affecting electronic transfers to and from Nationwide accounts. Customers report being unable to send money to other banks or receive expected payments, with some describing funds as being stuck “in cyberspace.”

While Nationwide assures that direct debits and standing orders are functioning normally, the timing of this outage couldn’t be worse for many. As one customer pointed out on X, “It’s Friday, it’s payday. We all have bills to pay. This isn’t good enough.”

The bank has clarified that customers can still use their debit cards for purchases and ATM withdrawals. Additionally, inter-account transfers within Nationwide remain unaffected. However, Open Banking functionality through third-party apps is also impacted by the ongoing issues.

Nationwide’s social media team has been responding to a barrage of complaints on X. Their standard response advises customers that they “are aware of a delay affecting some payments to and from accounts.” Furthermore, they “don’t have a timescale just yet,” but are working to fix it ASAP.

Some users have raised concerns about the lack of widespread media coverage, given the scale of the problem. As of mid-morning, only a handful of local news outlets had picked up the story.

One customer speculated that a recent change might be to blame, asking, “Whatever changes have happened should be rolled back immediately and why was it not tested thoroughly?” As the day progresses, the pressure on Nationwide to resolve the issue quickly will only intensify. For now, affected customers are left waiting and wondering when they’ll regain full access to their hard-earned money.

Nationwide has promised to provide updates via their service status page and is encouraging customers who wish to lodge formal complaints to do so through their official channels.