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LAST UPDATE | 16 Aug 2023
BANK OF IRELAND has said there will be “no customer detriment in relation to interest” for those who withdrew money from their accounts following a glitch with BOI’s online services.
When asked if customers who withdrew money they didn’t have from their accounts would be subject to interest rates or unauthorised overdraft fees, a BOI spokesperson said: “There will be no customer detriment in relation to interest in that scenario.”
In a separate statement this morning, BOI said it “fell far below” the expected standard following a widespread outage of its services yesterday.
BOI added that it restored its banking services overnight and apologised for the disruption caused following the glitch with BOI’s online services.
Large queues formed at ATMs across the country yesterday evening after rumours spread online that people were able to withdraw more money than they had available in their BOI accounts.
The Central Bank has also confirmed that it is ”monitoring the situation”.
“We are engaging with Bank of Ireland to ensure that any issues and errors identified are resolved for customers, and that it is doing all it can to ensure customers expectation of a high quality, uninterrupted service is met,” said a Central Bank spokesperson.
The Central Bank advised customers to contact Bank of Ireland in the first instance if they have concerns about their service.
Gardaí in numerous locations across the country were deployed to ATMs, with a garda spokesperson telling The Journal today that their direction was to ensure public order and public safety after becoming aware of large queues forming and an issue at a financial institution.
The bank said this morning that its mobile banking app and 365Online service are working again.
Following the outage yesterday, the App and 3650nline are back working again. Overnight payments to accounts may appear throughout the day. We sincerely apologise for the disruption this outage caused - we know it fell far below the standards our customers expect from us.
— Bank of Ireland (@talktoBOI) August 16, 2023
BOI also said this morning that all services should be available to its customers this morning and that overnight payments may appear in customers’ accounts today.
The statement said: “Yesterday a technical issue impacted a number of Bank of Ireland’s services. Our teams restored these services overnight and all services are available to customers this morning. Overnight payments to accounts may appear throughout the day.
“We are aware that the technical issue meant some customers were able to withdraw or transfer funds above their normal limits. These transfers and withdrawals will be applied to customers accounts today.”
Its statement added: “We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us.
“We sincerely apologise for the disruption this outage caused – we know we fell far below the standards our customers expect from us.”
As queues formed at ATMs, it is understood that Gardaí were handling the queues at ATMs across the country on a case-by-case basis overnight.
Gardaí began to clear people from some ATMs on foot of information from Garda command and control centres in a number of regions.
In some instances, they blocked access to ATMs, with images online showing members stationed outside bank machines.
While gardaí deny that there was any national directive, there were calls from command and control centres in at least three regions which led to gardaí dispersing queues and restricting access at some ATMs. A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána insisted those decisions were taken locally and on a case-by-case basis.
It is unclear how many ATMs were subject to garda patrols last night. It is understood the first call came through the Galway command and control centre in the Western Region, before similar information being given to stations in other regions.
The Journal understands that the call from command and control in Cork led to deployments across some locations in at least one other county in Munster.
Amid the late-night actions yesterday, a garda spokesperson said An Garda Síochána wanted to “remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking”.
The added: “An Garda Síochána are aware of an unusual volume of activity at some ATM machines across the country.
“An Garda Síochána are also aware of issues relating to certain financial institutions today.
“An Garda Síochána will remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking.”
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Why were the guards involved?
@Noel Keane: can you not see the potential problem even with public order with a bunch of people queing for what they perceive to be free money ? Chaos.
Also what harm to stop people putting themselves in debt.
But I guess you think it’s the guards policing the rule of the bank.
@Sean Partidge: Sean the bank of Ireland announced a billion euro in profits for 6 months and can’t manage to run a bank properly it should not fall to the taxpayers to pay funding the Garda to manage Queues at our expense – at the very least the bank should have to pay to manage its own incompetence out of their profits ffs
@Sean Partidge: Since when is queuing for an atm a public order offence? Who are the guards to prevent people from putting themselves in debt if they so choose? No matter what way you look at it its terrible optics for the guards given the controversy already surrounding tthem.
@Dave Hammond: I have no love for the bank. But the fact is this happened. But this is crime prevention. The presence would deter a mob from killing each other to get their “free money”. If you can’t see that then I am glad you are not in policing.
@Gman: I didn’t say it was a public order offence to que. It would be terrible optics for the guards had somebody stabbed someone to get to the top of an ATM que cause they wanted their ‘free money’ and they were aware of the situation and weren’t there. I’m sure you would of had a wee moan had that happened also.
@Gman: I’m sorry but people can’t be on here daily saying Dublin is a no go violent cess pit and then sit here and honestly say they wouldn’t expect something bad to happen in a situation like this. Maybe the guards presence stopped that!?!.
@Sean Partidge: and this is the 21st century and if a bank that makes 2 billion in profit can’t do something as simple as operate ATMs properly ie be asking are they fit to hold a banking license – and if you can’t see the problem with them having to turn to public sector for to fix their problems in a crisis -with respect you are missing the point.
@Dave Hammond: I don’t believe I am. Yes they should be operating at a better standard. So act now to ensure it doesn’t happen again. But this did happen. So our police can’t just sit there and say ‘they should be doing better’ and let the carnage start to teach em a lesson. What good is that ? Slow down there and think about it Dave.
@Endaonfacebook@hotmail.com Isabel: elaborate ?
@Noel Keane: So you’d also object to the Guards protecting a shop from being looted if its front door had been kicked in?
@Sean Partidge: yes Endaonfacebook whats the story with 1984.
@Endaonfacebook@hotmail.com Isabel: The queues at the ATM were so large as people were lining up to commit fraud and rob a bank. It was not some innocent social occasion.
@Noel Keane: because it’s illegal to rob a bank.
@Gman: last time I checked, stealing is still a criminal offence.
@Sean Partidge: And I always thought it was only FFG who gave “the mob”, as you call them, free money.
@Jack Cass: I said ‘a mob’. Not ‘the mob’. There’s a difference here.
@Noel Keane: a friend of mine said the queues in swords were everywhere and people were taking out thousands of pounds and running to the next ATM to get more, when they didn’t have that money in their accounts. Of course Garda had to be involved imagine people robbing each other or getting violent to get to the atm.
@Sean Partidge: slow down and think about it …people with bank cards are queuing , the machine will identify the user -no matter what version of catastrophe you seem to want to paint in your mind there was never any other outcome other than here’s a list of the people who took money from their account – the bank were always going to have that information or even in a worse case scenario / I mean worse case scenario – the bank would lose some money ? That was worse case scenario / there were
No riots , there was no carnage , and no amount of scaremongering or fear mongering can deflect the reality – the point still stands – the fact a bank making 2 billion a year can’t just shut down ATM technology from paying out but has to call for Garda to go to the machines is ridiculous
@Dave Hammond: We know, by now that the banks call the shots, and our Govt. will do their bidding at all times. We can’t have shareholders suffering any loss to their measley profits
@Dave Hammond: I never mentioned a loss to the bank. Or people making off with 1000s of pounds. You are right in that the banks need to be better and we should demand that. It’s every few months we read an article about glitches in the system. I am very critical of Irish banks. But you are not listening to my point. It’s not scare mongering. No there haven’t been reports of carnage or riots. But had the guards not been present there may have been. That’s my point. O connells street could have been like Disneyland to muggers with everyone walking away from ATMs with 1000s. Also atms run out of cash and people can get a bit more desperate and aggressive in these scenarios.
@Dave Hammond: You’re really bothered about this. Do you hate the guards, or are you always this hyped up? Obviously, you’d prefer for this situation to have gotten out of control, and then you could criticise the Guards for not doing their job. Have a coffee!!
@Dave Hammond: Guards we not protecting the banks they were protecting public order. You think its ok to just allow throngs of idiots pile up, under the false notion they’re getting free money? Plus stealing money is a crime. Do the guards not get involved in a theft from any other business? Just because you dislike the banks doesn’t mean they can be afforded protection from crime.
@Noel Keane: It’s theft.
@Tom Leddy: These ATM weren’t being robbed. The people were withdrawing their own money or creating their own overdraft. The comparison with looting a shop is ludicrous.
@Tom Leddy: The problem with the Gardai as have experienced 2 years ago accident I was involved in when a uninsured driver caused damage to my car When I asked the Gardai to attend they could not attend as a result this driver was not insured the Gardai never found him if the Gardai had attended he would have been found out and would have saved me a lot of Hassel.
@Dave Hammond: So should all theft just be ignored because someone just loses a bit of money? Where do you draw the line? There was no reported violence because the guards turned up. you think no one would try rob someone walking away from an atm with a few hundred quid? Now picture multiple people withdrawing 100s of euro, a few other “pillars of society”, start mugging them fights ensue. You honestly believe that wouldn’t happen? it was a security risk even if nothing did happen the potential was there. You’d be first to chastise the gardai if they didn’t show up and some1 was injured of killed.
@Dave Hammond: I think ‘YOU’ are missing the point here if you can not see that the Garda presence stopped a potential crisis. Human behaviour is unpredictable in a situation like this, and unfortunately, some people would stand on your head to get a piece of what they want. i.e. someone else’s money in this case.
@Noel Keane: they NOTHING else to do it seems
@Dave Hammond: so if the shutters at a shopping center were to fail then its not An Garda Síochána’s problem to stop the inevitable looting, but the management at the shopping center?
@Noel Keane: Remember when Enda Kenny stated in (Brussels)? The Army was on standby to guard the banks and ATMs…of course like Kenny’s imaginary friends it wasn’t true…but the guards were quick off the mark to protect the banks money…
@Tom Leddy: I’m relaxed enough , I don’t like the way the narrative gets spun in Ireland and I’ve never been one to be shy on sharing my opinion in comment sections / that’s what they for / , and also I’m not actually being critical of Gardai at all , they just do what is being asked – but the banks are the villain ( as often the case ) – they make super max profits in the billions / and repeatedly their service / in this case tech and ATM is found wanting – and of course if there riots or carnage id expect a Garda response – that’s not what happened here – and the upshot is they had to turn to get help when they saw how unprepared they were for potential risk exposure – I’m even critical that by lunchtime news they said they had no spokesperson available to Virgin news , all shoddy.
Can’t see why the Gardai were deployed to deal with the mistake of a private company and guard ATM machines
@Jimmy Wallace: it wasn’t theft,they were either taking out their own money or going into unauthorised overdraft charged at 13.5 %interest .It was more like a bank run surely.
@Brendan O’Brien: Not while their computer system is down, they can’t…
@Jimmy Wallace: Haedly theft, the next deposit into their account not only reduces the ‘overdraft’ but they pay overdraft fees!
Quite a few years ago BoI ‘offered” people an overdraft at the ATM which my the boyfriend availed of one drunken evening (seemed a great idea at the time) and it took him many months to catch up with paying it off due to their exorbitant overdraft fees these banks love to charge.
@Wombleman: Theft and fraud are illegal in Ireland.
@niamh hayes: you surely can’t be that naive?
@Lydia Mcloughlin: most people aren’t as daft as your boyfriend, but those ìdiòts in the queue thought they had a free pass to steal money and not pay it back.
@Wombleman: Banks are semi state not private, trying to steal money from a bank due to an IT error doesn’t mean its an acceptable offence. I’m sure you like to have the gardai protect your assets if something happened through fault of yours. Also the potential for antisocial behavior and other nonsense associated with large, unplanned gatherings. Gardai get deployed for loads of privately created mistakes.
@Jimmy Wallace: Not all people were committing theft as lots of people had more than a thousand in their account Jimmy.
@Mike Carson: Bank of Ireland is not. AIB is less than 50%. So only the zombie Permanent is mostly.
But they probably will be again.
@Brendan O’Brien: they run on bloody windows 95, I seen one reboot once
@macdara powell:
So why were they joining a long queue to withdraw their own money in the middle of the night ?
@Jerome Kurtis: someone should tell the government
@Wombleman: if someone steals your money, I suppose you call the private security instead of gardai as it’s a private matter
@Jimmy Wallace: No one is that stupid, the bank has all your details.
@Playmisty4me: I didn’t say he was daft I said he was drunk, not a time to make good decisions. It was stupid of any of these people to think it was free money, completely traceable, it’s not like the machine was spitting out money.
Gardai stand down. Time to do real Garda work. Maybe protect a few people, prevent crime or arrest some thugs.
@Peter: because taking money from an atm without it affecting your bank balance is theft that braincell of yours must be lonely
@Peter: take a trip down to the ccj courts in Dublin and see how many people are before the courts following arrests/prosecution etc. Up to 20 courts in their running daily. Packed to the brim.
That’s a personal call to approach an atm last night you ignoramus, what high ranking officer paid by tax payers money made the call to send 10s if not hundreds of gardai to ATMs. People will have to pay it back. Trouble with this country is people like you defending idiotic decision making at a very high level.
@Peter: yes, arrest the thugs stealing from ATMs last night.
@Peter: you said it meanwhile outside my house last night Spanish students beating each other up, Irish guys threatening them, called the Garda, yes we are very busy, we will try send someone, meanwhile my kids in the house, terrified listening to them all roar and kill each other
@Peter: Ah yes, sending gardai to large, unplanned, gatherings of people trying to steal, or believing they’re getting free money, isn’t part of a guards job? They would do same for any business, uphold the law. It was for public safety to you know. I’d say the people queuing up were upstanding members of society as well.
@Peter: that’d be the banks themselves for their absolute robbery of its customers
@: Peter: Of course it’s going to affect their bank balance. The bank has a record of everyone who made a withdrawl. People gave themselves unapproved overdrafts, which will have to be paid back. I don’t understand how anyone would assume there would be any other result.
Guards were there to help the muppets form an orderly Q, to get “free money” and not fight their way to the front of the Q to get the “free money” !
It’s the muppets fault that the guards were pulled from normal duty, did they seriously think any withdrawals would not be recouped by the bank !
@Jimmy Wallace: Yes only the banks can get free money. You know that the banks don’t actually have all the money that people deposit with them right? Does that seem normal to you?
@I’m Far Right: So that makes it ok to steal? I never had an issue with the bank withholding any of my cash. Banks don’t carry physical cash but your deposits are digitally there, you can use your cards. Reasons they don’t hold physical cash are security amongst many. But if you do need thousands in cash you just need to pre order, no biggie, unless you need a ransom. Fearing that just keep your cash in your own vault
@Mike Carson: You do know, that if everyone went in to the bank in the morning to withdraw their money, the bank would go bankrupt. Or else rob us in the middle of the night again like burglars.
@Donal Ronan: You do realise that would never happen. Banks go down so do the average joes & Joans. You may hate them, but this current system we live in needs banks, & law and order.
@Mike Carson: So, what happened to the 4 US banks that went bankrupt this year. Remember Silicon Valley Bank. The Fed and the ECB do.
Credit Suisse went also and it was supposedly one of the systemic banks.
The banks need us to bleed us dry and bail them out, when they balls up again, which they will. You can take that to the bank.
No such thing as a free lunch. :(
@honey badger: Very True! Others asking why the Gardai were involved? Law was originally set-up to protect wealth and property rights is the answer. Gardai just follow instructions from above, existing legislation is decided by government/EU. The government are lobbied by Big Business for favorable legislation/protection (example IBEC and American Chamber of Commerce). Bank of Ireland would fit the definition of Big Business so the answer is obvious.
I think bank of Ireland should credit every customer a 100eu into their account, that might show us how sorry they are for yesterdays mess up,
Were some individuals really that naive to think they were getting “free money”?
Is there really any moral difference between using a digger to Rob an ATM or being in the queue at a BOI ATM last night.
@Playmisty4me: is there really any moral difference that bankers using financial instruments broke this country and made 1000s emigrate and never return, all for them to get rich.
@Playmisty4me: Don’t understand how a company can be so crap yet record such impressive profits.
@Playmisty4me: Well, firstly, there was no property damage for a start.
Secondly, not everyone at a BOI ATM last night had a negative bank balance.
Thirdly, talking about morality and banks or banking in the same breath is pretty nonsensical.
@Dvsespaña:
You say that “ not everyone at BOI ATM last night had a negative bank balance “ . So please explain why you think that they went to the trouble of joining a long queue in the middle of the night to withdraw their own money because it certainly puzzles me ?
@John Smith: Many people work nights or unsociable hours and use ATM machines outside of what others consider normal hours, using an ATM last night or any other Tuesday night/Wednesday morning doesn’t make them party to what others were engaged in.
@Playmisty4me: Suppose you could say the same concerning the criminal trial of Sean Fitzpatrick which collapsed due to the shredding of evidence by the state. Or the bank officials convicted who received minimum sentences. The likes of Fitzpatrick facilated by the same politicians who now pretend to criticise them brought this country to its knees..The ATM robberies was miniscule compared to the gangsterism of the banks..Over Sixty Billion is what this country is in the hoc for over the banks. They are the thieves.
Fear of public disorder. Run on ATMs, run on banks etc the government, and those in positions of power do not trust there own citizens. Remember, simple things like this can cause greater problems for those in authority.
@AnthonyK: I think by the looks of the run on atm machines ‘they’ are right to not trust the people.I wouldn’t.
@AnthonyK: Name a single nation operating without some basic criminal laws…
@Jerome Kurtis: Ireland.
@Dave Hammond: yet you complain when it is enforced
@AnthonyK: Well the people trying to get “free cash” would hardly fill you with trust
What is truly disturbing about this incident is the number of people who happily justify committing theft. You’d wonder what other misdemeanours their moral compass would allow them to engage in. Society is broken.
I’d say there was good craic in the pubs last night.
@Benny Mchale: imagine this had happened the same day yokes were legal for 24hrs back in 2015. Would have been some hoolie
@Emma Griffin: We can only dream.
Says it all about the Irish psyche and where our Society is heading.Cueing up to Rob a Bank. Id say most of them in them, would dip there Hands in Your Pocket if they got the Chance.
Shameful and Disgusting.
A lot of people gonna get a life lesson here after withdrawing money they didn’t have
Guards on o connell St…..wow
I assume the banks will be paying for the use of garda services since they are a private business and made some tasty profits this year
Picture it! Reeling in the years, 2023. Gardai are deployed to curb civil unrest and protect BOI ATMs amid one of the biggest cost of living crises and hyperinflationary periods in modern history. You couldn’t write this stuff.
Wouldnt be rocket science to calculate the cost of policing the atms for the night and then billing the bank, while they have no legal obligation to do so, couldbe a goodwill gesture on banks behalf.
Once again Ireland displays an inability to do technology..perhaps learning 3 chapters of Peig off by heart isn’t so helpful after all.
I’m old enough to remember when banks sent blank cheques in the post and all you had to do was sign it for a ‘free’ loan. All those bank robbers putting their card and PIN numbers into cctv fitted machines for the same deal.
Garda overtime budget spent on protecting the banks. If you get a puck in the face though and robbed they are nowhere.
Pensioners hired taxis to help them beat the queues.
It’s time to dust off the blank P.45s in a drawer at Montrose. Tubridy first and then to the others who covered up for him. Time to properly clean that house!
Someone today is going to get the sack
@Alan Scott: In Irish banking, that mess up will warrant a promotion. That’s how things roll in the land of make believe.
@Alan Scott: These folks fall up.
Anyone else still having issues with the mobile app?
@Lin: ignore – just called BOI, major technical issue with the App (11am Wed)
All the moralising here about the people taking the money. Fair enough it’s not right but the banks hardly have any moral high ground been ripping people off for years and continue to. Maybe this is a small bit of justice that they’re the ones being robbed for a change?
@Nicola: They banks were hardly being robbed. Every person that was there to get “Free Money” just took out an unintended overdraft.They wont be laughing when theyre paying it back
@Systemic 31: well exactly but listening to the banks taking the moral high ground is laughable with their shenanigans. Pity anyone has to pay them back
They should charge interest and demand the money back within 30 days.
So many articles in hours can’t comment on.
I’m not a BoI Customer, but if I was and, if I had erroneously withdrawn more cash than was contained in my account, I would be asking myself and my bank if I had any overdraft facility associated with my account (these need to be applied for and negotiated with the bank) And if not, how could I be subject to any overdraft liability?
Enda Kenny was right. Elect him President.
@micheal duff: At least Kenny would be certain of votes from his imaginary friends.
If it’s worth doing, its worth doing badly.
The usual suspects, who I suspect live in echo chambers, are having a pop at the Gardaì and banks. Very few rational, logical and educated remarks from them.
I suggest I won’t be paying it back at all. Yoink.
Our country is being presented as a laughing stock in news around the world and we’re complaining about Garda overreach?
I’m sure this “loan” from BOI was a godsend for some people. Personally, I don’t think its morally wrong of anyone to take advantage of a glitch like this.
@Ishka: typical low life comment
@Ishka: great to see people getting one up on the banks all good
Cometh the hour, cometh the man…or girl in a really long line.
Do I sound self-satisfied? Perhaps. But one must understand (as I do from experience), all will be accounted for in the end. If this happens again, restrain oneself.
After midnight I was supposed to receive a transfer I have not received so far. On the hotline they told me that the money will be with me today between 4pm and 5pm Do you have similar events?
So if you are an ATM the gardaí will rush to protect you but being an ordinary taxpayer you’re on your own ……
Ah why???
I had my credit card stolen and they charged me not only for each ATM withdrawal (approx 5e each,and daily interest too) until the culprits reached card limit
@ Mike Carsin: everybody, given the chance, will try to get ‘free cash’.
Some people do it by downplaying turnover in their returns, others by inflating expenses, etc etc etc
BOI in the North were affected too. Mobile banking etc down but the ATMS weren’t giving out £1000 and didn’t need PSNI to protect them either.
@Kevin Rooney: After midnight I was supposed to receive a transfer I have not received so far. On the hotline they told me that the money will be with me today between 4pm and 5pm Do you have similar events?
@Michal Wozniak: not transfers related but a debit transaction not showing up.
What’s with the cops at ATM s whatever happened to peaceful assembly maybe the bankers are the ones they should be dealing with what a joke..
Should charge double interest.
Scroungers
Very nice of them I don’t recall getting any benefit from bailing the banks out without even a vote on it for something which I and the majority didn’t cause,nice of them not to look for more back for they’re **** up
Why should anyone pay interest? OK they should have to pay back what they owe, but they didn’t sign any overdraft agreement and neither did the bank, wherein the interest rate would be agreed. The fact that people were temporarily allowed go into negative balance doesn’t automatically make it a chargeable overdraft agreement just because the bank happens to offer this overdraft facility that allows you to do the same thing. No matter what distaste we have for people who’d take advantage of that opportunity.
have your say