HSBC online banking down: Customers locked out of accounts on Black Friday

IT failure comes on busiest shopping day of the year and follows a string of problems at other UK lenders

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HSBC customers have been locked out of their online accounts on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

The UK’s largest bank became the latest to be hit by IT failures after TSB, Barclays and RBS customers have all experienced problems this year.

“We're aware that some customers are experiencing intermittent issues logging onto mobile banking,” HSBC tweeted. “We're investigating and will provide further updates."

Customers were experiencing “intermittent issues” when logging into HSBC’s mobile app, the lender said.

A further tweet stated: “You can continue to use our online banking services. We're very sorry for any inconvenience.”

Some customers expressed anger at the bank via their social media accounts.

One wrote: “It's not intermittent. It's constant. I've been trying since 6am to pay a bill, and not only that - it's Black Friday.

“I'd planned on transferring some savings to use for shopping. I can't use the desktop version either because I need the app for a code”

An HSBC spokesperson said: “We ask that customers retry logging in, or they can access online banking services via their internet browser.”

The problems come on the day that MPs launched a probe into IT failures at big banks after a string of similar issues.

The Treasury Committee will look at how banks can prevent disruption and how they can correct IT problems when they occur.

Nicky Morgan, chairwoman of the committee, said: "The number of IT failures at other financial institutions in recent years is astonishing.

"Since becoming chair of the committee 16 months ago, there have been problems at Equifax, TSB, Visa, Barclays, Cashplus and RBS, to name a few."