Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2013/03/06/rbs_natwest_systems_failure_downs_banking/

RBS and NatWest FAIL downs services across UK

Megabork takes down ATMs, cards, online banking, telebanking

By Jack Clark in San Francisco

Posted in On-Prem, 6th March 2013 23:03 GMT

Updated Thirsty NatWest and RBS customers across the UK are finding it difficult to get the last round in tonight, as the banks' systems have failed.

The megabork, which began at around 9:30pm, has taken down cash machines, online banking and telephone banking for the majority of its customers across the UK.

"We are aware of the problems our customers are having and apologise, we will provide more information as soon as we have it," NatWest tweeted at 10:28pm.

The bank confirmed the fail to the BBC. At the time of writing neither RBS or NatWest had responded to El Reg requests for information.

The failure is also affecting debit card payments, according to multiple reports on twitter of problems processing transactions at petrol stations and supermarkets.

Last year The Register revealed that a failure in a piece of RBS's batch scheduling software meant millions of people went unpaid for four days. ®

Update: 1:04am

NatWest and RBS systems have recovered from the mystery fault, NatWest wrote in a tweet at 1:02am.

"We are disappointed that our customers have faced disruption to banking services for a period this evening, and apologise for that," it wrote.