Reports are coming in with many HSBC customers around the world experiencing declined card transactions, no website access, and no phone system. HSBC’s network in the UK is apparently unavailable at the moment, and other areas may be affected throughout the world. HSBC is the largest bank in the United Kingdom, and all HSBC card transactions are being declined. ATMs are inoperative. The institution’s online banking system is unresponsive. I had no problem accessing the HSBC Advance website in the United States, but I’m no longer a customer so I have no account to view.
The news is getting out through Twitter. Here are some recent comments:
- “As an #hsbc customer, I’m glad I got my money out yesterday. Check out the hashtag for tales of woe. A new kind of bank crash. Ouch.”
- “Their Secure Key was not enough – HSBC have obviously decided to move online banking to ultra-secure mode. #hsbc #fail”
- “The end of Capitalism has begun, HSBC network down! Get into your bunkers people, this is not a drill! #Bankpocalypse”
- “HSBC, I think you should know; you made me look a right fool in that Café when my card was declined.”
According to the BBC, the bank is aware of the issues and is investigating the problem. Are you affected by the HSBC networking downtime?
Update: The problem affecting HSBC’s systems, including ATMs, transactions, and phone access, has been resolved. “We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers, and will ensure that no customers are impacted financially. We have now cleared and processed all payments.”
Updated November 6, 2011 and originally published November 4, 2011. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
thankfully, i’m not impacted by HSBC’s network being down. I had a credit card with HSBC last year that I paid off & i’m glad to be done with HSBC.
This sounds crazy. Can you imagine if a similar event happened in the US?
Hey CC, What’s the status of the HSBC retail banking in the US? I thought they sold branches in NY and CT to First Niagara Bank, and are still consolidating the existing branches in NJ and CT? Does this network issue affect the current HSBC ATMs in NJ, CT, and NY?
I was able to log in to my HSBC Advance account okay. Perhaps it’s only affecting the UK.
Too big to fail?
I had no problem getting into my account either. Must not have been a problem for the server i got directed to.
Yes System Still down in the UK – I tried to Purchase Items on-line (9pm Uk time today – Sunday) and had my card declined – I knew that I had plenty of funds so Contacted Phone Banking – they have an automated message saying that they are aware of the situation – Not Great if you are Travelling abroad – The whole situation is leaving a bad taste in my mouth?