Metro Bank customers have reported distress after an IT glitch left them unable to make payments and, in some cases, plunged their accounts into negative balances. The bank acknowledged a 'short delay' affecting inbound and outbound payments, which it said was resolved, but customers continued to complain hours later about duplicate payments and inaccurate balances.
On social media, customers expressed frustration. Colleen posted on X: 'We all deserve compensation!' claiming people had missed work and were unable to buy food. Emily Gregory said on Facebook that charges had been duplicated, leaving her without access to funds. Tanya Pegler wrote: 'So when is this being sorted as u need food and nappies in for my kids.'
Leah Lovena Cairnie posted: 'Many of us have woken up today to negative balances and missing funds. I’ve seen someone post they’ve woken up to minus £7,000, and personally I’ve woken up to -£500.' Common complaints included unauthorised overdrafts and duplicate payments, with some unable to pay for travel or rent.
Metro Bank apologised, stating: 'We experienced a short delay affecting inbound and outbound payments earlier this morning. This was resolved and customers can currently make payments as usual.' It added that some customers might see delays while earlier payments are processed and balances may still show inaccurately.
The glitch follows a series of IT failures at UK banks this year, including NatWest, Santander, and Barclays, raising scrutiny of banking IT systems.
