Bank problems: what have Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide and Virgin Money said - what to do if payments are missing

• Multiple UK banks faced technical issues on Friday 28 June causing delays in payments
• Pay.UK has confirmed resolution of the underlying network issues and advised banks to resubmit delayed transactions
• But some customers have still not received expected payments despite assurances that the technical problems are resolved
• Apologies have been issued by the affected banks, acknowledging the inconvenience caused to customers
• Affected customers should contact their bank to trace missing payments and potentially request refunds for any fees incurred

Some people have yet to receive delayed payments into their bank accounts, including wages, despite the resolution of technical issues that affected several high street banks on Friday (28 June).

One affected bank said that payments might need to be resent for those who have not yet received them.

Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide, and Virgin Money issued apologies to customers on Friday and over the weekend, as some were unable to send or receive money due to technical issues.

Frustrated customers took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain about missing payday wages and their inability to pay bills like rent.

But what have the banks said, and what can you do if you find you are still missing expected payments from your account? Here is everything you need to know about it.

What have the banks said?

Pay.UK – which operates the network that enables digital transactions to be sent between banks and building societies within seconds – said the problems that were causing some payments to be delayed or not processed were fixed on Friday.

A spokesperson for Pay.UK said: “The network stabilised around noon on Friday and we have continued to monitor the systems closely, with no further evidence of issues.

“In most cases, banks will successfully resubmit those payments that were not processed. If customers are still experiencing issues they should contact their bank directly.”

Here’s what the banks have said on the matter:

Barclays

National World has contacted Barclays UK. We will update this article as and when more information becomes available.

Customer service number: 0345 734 5345

HSBC

On Friday 28 June, HSBC said online banking services were “back up and running” and the payments issue affecting multiple banks had been resolved.

It is also asking customers to remake a payment if people cannot see it in the recent transactions shown in their account, or contact the bank if it has been sent but not received.

Customer service number: 03457 404 404

Nationwide

On Friday (28 June), Nationwide replied to a string of customers on X complaining that they had not received their wages into their accounts.

Nationwide said it was “aware there is a delay with some customers receiving their salary or pension payments today”. It added: “These payments are being processed, and will be paid into your account today. Sorry for any inconvenience this is causing.”

Customer service number: 0800 30 20 11

Virgin Money

Virgin Money said on Monday (1 July) that it was supporting some of its customers whose payments into or out of their account had failed altogether.

A spokesperson said: “Following the issues with payments across the banking sector on Friday, where some of our customers experienced delays to payments in and out of their account, new payments are now flowing normally, with the backlog cleared over the weekend to resolve delayed payments.

“We’re also supporting a relatively small number of customers whose transactions failed and may need to be requested again. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and we’re grateful for their patience.”

Customer service number: 0345 608 1604

What can I do?

Unlike telecom companies, banks are not required to compensate customers for service disruptions. However, if you incur costs due to these issues, you may be able to get reimbursed.

For example, if a bill payment failed due to the outage and you were charged a fee, you should be able to claim that money back.

If your credit rating was affected because of a service outage, such as receiving a late payment fee for being unable to make a transaction, you should keep a record of this.

Note the names and details of any representatives you spoke to, including the time and nature of your conversation, and their advice.

You should first contact your bank directly through their customer service helpline. This can usually be found on the bank's website or on the customer's banking app. Banks typically have dedicated customer service teams that handle such issues.

When contacting the bank, explain how you were affected by the outage (e.g., missed wages, inability to pay bills). It's helpful to have specific details ready, such as the amount of money that was supposed to be received or transferred.

Ask your bank for assistance in rectifying the situation. This may involve asking the bank to trace any missing payments or to refund any fees that were incurred due to the outage.

It's important to keep records of all communications with the bank regarding the issue. This includes noting down dates and times of phone calls or any emails exchanged. Having a clear record can be helpful if further action is needed.

If you are not satisfied with the response from the initial contact, you can escalate your complaint within the bank. UK banks are required to have formal complaints procedures, which are usually detailed on their website.

If the issue remains unresolved or you are unhappy with the resolution offered by the bank, you have the option to escalate the complaint further to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), an independent body that can investigate complaints and provide a decision.

Share your experiences in the comments section. Have you been affected by the recent banking disruptions? How did your bank handle the situation? What improvements would you like to see from banks in handling such technical issues in the future?