Global IT outage: the UK banks affected and your rights

Several major UK banks were affected by a global IT outage on Friday 19 July, with many customers still reporting they are unable to access online services.

Over the weekend, Microsoft said 8.5m devices were affected, impacting flights, train journeys and healthcare services. Cyber-security firm Crowdstrike took responsibility for the problem and claimed a faulty software update was to blame.

Here, Which? reveals the banks that still may be experiencing disruption and what to do if you've been impacted.

What happened?

A worldwide IT outage sparked chaos at UK airports and impacted other services including railways and even GP surgeries on Friday 19 July. Banks also experienced disruption, with customers of some providers struggling to access online or mobile app services.

So what happened? Fears that the issue may have been caused by a massive cyber attack calmed after American tech firm Crowdstrike admitted the problem was caused by an update to its Falcon antivirus software, designed to protect Microsoft Windows devices from malicious attacks. 

• Find out more: how to claim compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight or train journey

Which banks are affected?

Several banks in the UK were affected by the IT outage and customers of some providers are still experiencing problems using services. While there may be more, the below is a list of providers customers are still reporting issues about today:

Santander

The high street bank reported disruption to online banking, cash machines, in-branch services and card payments. While the Santander website says all its services are now up and running as normal, Downdetector – a website that allows users to report IT issues – shows some customers were still having problems on Monday 22 July. 

Nationwide

Sky News reported that Nationwide customers were having issues with online banking. Downdetector shows that's still the case for some people today (22 July).

Lloyds Banks

According to Downdetector, Lloyds customers are still facing IT issues with online and mobile app services.

Metro Bank

On Friday, Metro Bank posted on X, formerly Twitter, to say customers may experience issues with their phone lines due to the global IT outage, and some payment services are also unavailable. Reports on Downdetector show the situation has now calmed.

HSBC

The high street bank was also hit by the outage – online and mobile app services have been affected, with customers also facing issues with fund transfers, according to Downdetector reports. The website showed a spike in the number of people still reporting problems with the banks' services at lunchtime on Monday (22 July). 

NatWest

NatWest customers also reported having trouble with online or mobile app services on Downdetector. That website shows many customers are still experiencing problems.

Barclays

The Independent newspaper reported that Barclays' digital investing platform Smart Investor was affected, with customers unable to manage their account in the app, online or over the phone. Downdetector shows a number of customers are still experiencing disruption to services, with most complaints about online banking.

When will it be fixed?

CrowdStrike says a significant number of affected devices are now back online after the company identified the problem and deployed a 'fix'.

However, in an interview on NBC's Today Show in the US, Crowdstrike chief executive George Kurtz admitted: 'It could be some time for some systems that won't automatically recover.'

Industry expert Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, warned that it could even take 'weeks' for all computers and systems to be fully restored.

'The fix will have to be applied to many computers around the world. So if computers are getting blue screens and endless loops, it could be more difficult and take days and weeks,' he said.

What can you do if affected?

If your bank or building society has been affected by the IT outage, here's what you can do:

Contact your bank

If you can, go to your local bank branch – especially if you urgently need to access your money. If you don’t have a local bank branch nearby or transport to get to it, try and call your bank and ask for its guidance on what to do. 

That's assuming telephone banking isn't also down. If that's the case, or lines are busy, try contacting your bank on social media to ask what to do. But don’t ever share your account details over social media.

If you have no luck getting in touch with your bank and you’re not able to access your money, start gathering evidence for a complaint. Make a note of who you speak to, the time and dates of the outages, and keep receipts if you have to travel to the bank – this log will help to support a complaint if you've been left out of pocket.

Complain to your bank

Complain to the bank and ask for compensation to cover the losses and ask it to take all the steps to put the situation right.

In your complaint, make sure you include:

• Who you spoke to at the bank during the outage – include when you spoke to them and what they advised you to do
• The losses you suffered as a result of the outage – include the service you wanted to perform, what happened to you as a result and any financial and emotional distress this caused you
• What you want the bank to do to put things right – include the amount of compensation you expect and when you expect to be compensated.

Unhappy with the bank’s response? Go to the FOS

If you’re unhappy with how the bank dealt with your problem, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS can usually get involved 15 days after you’ve raised your concerns with the bank – and sometimes even sooner. 

It has official powers to help customers solve problems with their banks when they can’t agree and will look at the facts, ask questions and make a decision on the fairest course of action.

This story has been updated since it was first published on Friday 19 July.