System glitch gives customers extra cash

Bank of Ireland experienced technical glitches on Tuesday that allowed certain customers to withdraw substantial amounts of money from cash machines despite having insufficient funds in their accounts. This led to long queues at ATMs in the Republic of Ireland, as shown in pictures and videos shared on social media. The bank acknowledged the technical issues but announced on Wednesday morning that they had been successfully resolved.

The bank clarified that while the technical issues were resolved, transfers and withdrawals made by customers during the period of disruption would still be processed and applied to their accounts. Both the bank’s app and its 365 Online banking services were reported to be functioning again.

The spokesperson for Bank of Ireland highlighted that the technical problem enabled some customers to withdraw or transfer funds exceeding their typical limits. Such transactions would be reflected in customers’ accounts on Wednesday. The bank urged any customers facing financial difficulties due to overdrawing their accounts to get in touch with them.

The bank expressed regret for the inconvenience caused by the disruption. Meanwhile, Irish police (gardaí) reported awareness of an “unusual volume of activity” at certain cash machines and acknowledged issues related to specific financial institutions. They also emphasised the importance of individuals exercising personal responsibility while conducting their banking activities.

The technical faults initially emerged on Tuesday afternoon, disrupting customers’ access to services. Notably, contactless, card, and cash machine services remained unaffected. Social media reports indicated that some customers managed to transfer more funds than they had available in their Bank of Ireland accounts to external accounts and subsequently withdraw the cash.