RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank hit by online banking glitches

The problems have been occurring since around 05.00 on Friday (September 21), leaving account holders unable to access services.

“We’re aware of some issues on our online and mobile banking and are working hard to fix them,” the bank said on Twitter, apologising and adding that customers can still use cash points and its telephone banking services.

Customers have been sharing their frustration on social media, with many complaining that the timing has coincided with payday.

Others pointed out the bank had closed branches earlier in the year in favour of online banking. In May, it confirmed 162 branches would close, at the cost of 792 jobs.

RBS Group, which owns NatWest and Ulster Bank, reported last year that it had more than four million customers who use its mobile app services.

This year has seen frequent service problems for banking customers, with millions being locked out of accounts after their bank has been hit by technical issues.

Barclays customers were hit by an online banking service outage for several hours on Thursday. It has since restored its function. A spokesperson said in a statement: “We’re very sorry about the technical problems our customers have experienced today. Everything is now back up and running, and we’re really grateful for customers bearing with us."