Viewers of BBC Breakfast were met with an unexpected interruption on Friday, February 28, 

when presenter Charlie Stayt broke the news that several major UK banks were facing online banking issues.

The disruption, which affected Nationwide and First Direct, left many customers struggling to access their accounts

on what was a crucial day for many, the end of the month and payday.

Charlie Stayt Reports Live Banking Disruptions

As the morning show approached its conclusion, Stayt paused the usual programming to update viewers on the unfolding situation.

“Just wanting to bring you news of a story that we’re just hearing about. Nationwide and First Direct are saying that some customers may be facing problems with online banking,” he stated.

His co-host, Naga Munchetty, emphasized the potential impact of the issues on customers, explaining that both incoming and outgoing payments were being affected.

“Now, it is affecting some incoming and outgoing payments, leaving many without access to funds on pay day at the end of the month,” she said, before passing the discussion to correspondent Ben Boulos for further details.

Multiple Banks Affected

Boulos elaborated on the scale of the issue, confirming that the problem was not limited to just two banks.

“[It’s the] last Friday of the month, a lot of people will be wanting to check, wanting to access their money to pay bills and so on. What we’re hearing, this news breaking in the last few minutes, is that Nationwide, First Direct, Lloyds, and Halifax all confirming issues with their online banking systems,” he reported.

Boulos also pointed out that these glitches were becoming a recurring problem, with similar disruptions reported in previous months.

“This is the second month in a row that major banks have been hit with some sort of IT issues around pay day,” he said. “Experts are saying that often these systems struggle with the sheer demand on them—the transactions, the number of people trying to log in… Wages going in, bills going out, that sort of thing.”

Customers Left Frustrated as Banks Remain Silent on the Cause

Many customers turned to social media to express their frustration over the disruption, particularly as some were relying on accessing their wages.

Ben Boulos reassured viewers that they were not alone if they were unable to log in to their banking apps, explaining that the issue was widespread.

“If people are, this morning, struggling to log in to any of those banking apps, they’re not alone. It’s not an issue with their own phone or their computer; this is a system issue with the bank apps themselves,” he said.

At the time of reporting, there was no official explanation from the affected banks regarding the cause of the outage.

“There’s no indication about what’s behind this, but obviously people will be concerned,” Boulos noted.

He encouraged viewers to stay updated through official news sources, saying, “It’s worth saying, keep an eye on the BBC News Channel, keep an eye on the app and our website. That story will be followed throughout the day with any updates that people need, they can find them there.”

Thousands of Customers Affected by Outages

According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks service outages, complaints about banking issues surged on Friday morning. Reports included:

Over 4,000 complaints from Lloyds Bank customers

3,600 issues reported by Halifax customers

900 complaints from TSB users

600 cases from Bank of Scotland customer

These numbers highlight the scale of the disruption, with thousands of people struggling to complete essential transactions at a critical time.

Growing Concerns Over Repeated Banking System Failures

This is not the first time UK banks have faced online banking outages around payday. In January, Barclays customers experienced a similar issue that left them unable to access funds or carry out transactions.

The frequency of these disruptions has raised concerns among regulators and policymakers. In response, the Treasury Committee has reached out to the heads of nine major banks, demanding explanations regarding the cause of these IT failures and their impact on consumers.

With digital banking becoming an essential part of daily life, repeated outages could erode customer confidence and prompt calls for stricter regulations to ensure more reliable services.

What Happens Next?

As customers await further updates from their banks, many will be hoping for swift resolutions and reassurances that such issues will not become a regular occurrence.

For now, banking customers affected by the outage are advised to check their banks’ official websites and social media pages for further updates. Those facing urgent payment issues may also contact customer service departments for assistance.

With digital banking playing a crucial role in modern finance, repeated outages like these raise important questions about the resilience of online banking systems. Whether banks will take steps to prevent future disruptions remains to be seen, but for now, customers are left dealing with the inconvenience of another payday disruption.