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RollingNews.ie

Ulster Bank: 'Human error' caused cash to disappear from some accounts

Some customers said their bank cards have been declined, even though they recently got paid.

Updated 4.15pm

ULSTER BANK HAS said an account glitch which resulted in funds disappearing from customers’ accounts was as a result of human error.

Many customers have complained today about discrepancies in their bank accounts as money that had been transferred into their accounts suddenly was no longer appearing.

The bank has said this was as a result of a payment file which did not process last night and has assured customers that the money is still in the payment file and will be processed overnight.

One person on Twitter this morning said his salary had “disappeared” from his account.

“Standing orders/ direct debits due to hit. When can I expect issue to be resolved and will you compensate for cost of bounced DDM?,” he said.

“Card has been declined checked the app and shows my balances not as they should be,” another customer said.

One woman said her account is now “in a minus” even though she was paid yesterday.

A customer who spoke to TheJournal.ie said a payment went into her account yesterday morning and she was able to make transfers and use her debit card. However, when she looked at her account this morning, she noticed it is now overdrawn.

“I called and they said that payments or lodgements made into accounts over the last day or two have disappeared and they are working to resolve the issue. They gave no timescale but said we shouldn’t be charged for overdrawn balances or have payments returned.”

An Irishman who is on holiday in Gibraltar also got in touch to say that his ATM transaction was declined. He said he tried to contact Ulster Bank but could not get through to customer care.

He told TheJournal.ie that he felt he is “just sort of abandoned out here”.

“In huge overdraft in both current accounts and need to do a food shop and pay bills,” one woman said on Twitter.

In an updated statement this afternoon, the bank said:

As a result of human error, a payment file did not process last night, which means that some transactions applied to some customers accounts since 20 April are temporarily not showing.
We investigated this issue as a matter of urgency and have already taken the necessary corrective action which will see recovery actions overnight.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and no customer will be left out of pocket as a result of this issue.

Customers are expected to be returned to their normal position by tomorrow morning.

Emergency cash of up to €500 is available to customers in branch or via telephone with the correct ID.

When asked about branches staying open later for customers this evening so they can access cash, the bank said they would close at normal times.

Any debits due to be paid today will be made once the issue is resolved.

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty criticised the bank and referenced another serious glitch in Ulster Bank’s system in 2012, which left some customers without access to their funds for weeks.

Today’s issue is not connected to the 2012 system issue.

A fine of €5 million was imposed by the Central Bank in 2014 for this IT failure, later reduced to €3.5 million as the bank had admitted liability.

The Oireachtas Finance Committee has confirmed it will ask Ulster Bank to appear before its members next week to explain what happened.

The Central Bank also said it is aware of the issue involving the bank accounts of certain Ulster Bank customers.

“The Central Bank is monitoring the situation and is in contact with the firm in relation to this matter.

“Customers have a legitimate expectation of high quality, uninterrupted services, whether provided through traditional or online channels. The Central Bank expects all firms to have adequate systems and controls in place and where issues that impact customers arise they should be addressed and rectified urgently, particularly as customers are increasingly using and becoming dependent on online and mobile banking services.

“In this regard, the Central Bank expects firms to communicate clearly and promptly with affected customers when a technical incident occurs, including details of the impacted service, details of alternative access to services and an undertaking that identifiable loss will be remediated. Our expectations have been communicated to banks.”

Speaking earlier today, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said it is “a very concerning development for any customer of any bank in the state to be worried about where there money has gone”.

When asked about the possibility of a fine in relation to this incident, he said: “That would be a questions for the Central Bank to answer, we are at a very early stage of inquiry as to what has happened here.”

“It is a real worry for anybody, to be sure about the amount of money you have in your bank account, check your phone, use your ATM, use your debit card and find out your money is not there it can be a real worry to people, and cause a lot of panic for people and this is why it is really important that Ulster Bank give the assurances to people, which they have given, which I understand that no one will be out of pocket in relation to it and then the central bank to investigate what has transpired here, as they have done in the past.”

Customers have been advised they can call Ulster Bank or visit a branch if they need access to funds. They are asking affected customers to call 1850 424 365 (from abroad 00353 1 8047475) minicom – 0800 015 4422.

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75 Comments
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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:34 AM

    my account is in a minus even though I was paid yesterday too and I don’t even use Ulster Bank…..

    798
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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:35 AM

    @Dave Hammond: Try using another bank

    22
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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:45 AM

    @Anthony Gallagher: try to keep up..

    315
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello.
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello.
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:13 PM

    @Anthony Gallagher: He was making a hilarious joke.

    47
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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Apr 24th 2018, 1:12 PM

    @Neal Ireland Hello.: SO WAS I ,dummies

    14
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    Mute Alan Madden
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    Apr 24th 2018, 5:08 PM

    @Anthony Gallagher: what was your HILARIOUS joke then?

    44
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    Mute David Mulligan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:14 AM

    more outsourcing issues for Ulster Bank, not the cheapest solution long term

    273
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    Mute ed w
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:18 AM

    Used to be great.always got great service they have now implemented a boi treat customers v like dirt policy unless there applying for a mortgage. If the other banks in the town I live didn’t treat you eworse I would move. Irish banking does not care about customers at all.

    319
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    Mute Matt Humphries
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:36 AM

    @ed w: I was with the tsb since 1972 never defaulted once. Treated me very badly. With ulster bank now should have done it years ago. Great bank great staff.

    71
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    Mute SilentFugitive
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:38 AM

    @ed w: You actually have banks in your town where you can go in and talk to someone?

    150
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    Mute Mark
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:32 AM

    @SilentFugitive: sher when you go into a bank you just stare at them. And it’s not even your local bank.

    4
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    Mute Patty Cullinane
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:09 AM

    @ed w: they must have taken a page out of the PTSB how to treat customers handbook.

    17
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    Mute Vigo the Carpathian
    Favourite Vigo the Carpathian
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:46 PM

    @Matt Humphries: In fairness to Ulster Bank during the last IT glitch they covered my taxi fares AND salary for the time I’d to take off work to get to them. If they fixed the IT problem I’d recommend them in a heart beat. Even the staff were excellent despite being on the front line of something that wasn’t their mistake..

    23
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    Mute ed w
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:49 PM

    @SilentFugitive: yes we have 3 amazing sw donegal. I suspect not for long. There aim seems to be to drive customers awatly so they can close the branch as no one was using it.

    11
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    Mute ted hagan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 1:15 PM

    @Matt Humphries:
    TSB treated everyone badly and in my experience were woefully understaffed.

    9
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    Mute Patty Cullinane
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    Apr 24th 2018, 3:31 PM

    @Vigo the Carpathian: it doesn’t matter if it was their fault or not. This is why they are called front line staff. It is their job to give you excellent service.

    6
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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Apr 24th 2018, 5:20 PM

    @ed w: why don’t you open an account at a bank outside Ireland? There are plenty of banks around Europe who will offer you totally free banking.

    2
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    Mute Seriously stunned
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:49 AM

    Why is it that money always goes missing in the account?why can’t money be added to the account without them knowing.ffs

    159
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    Mute David Knight
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:03 AM

    I know the main IT system they use in UB is antiquated, and after years of under investment, is an accident waiting to happen (for the second time!). But the bonuses will be paid to the suits as usual. They must be experts in the art of apologising…

    125
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    Mute Reuben Gray
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:23 AM

    @David Knight: They still use Windows XP in branches…..

    39
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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:14 AM

    Bail out 2 on the way ?

    71
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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:24 AM

    @Johnny Mason: we never bailed them out, you don’t know your history

    86
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    Mute Isthatright
    Favourite Isthatright
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:50 AM

    @:
    Ulster Bank WAS bailed out, by the UK tax payer !
    He never said the Irish tax payer.

    Do your homework

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    Mute Isthatright
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:50 AM

    @Barry Somers:
    Did he say we ?

    12
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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:54 AM

    @: read the comment more carefully and you wont look like such a fool

    11
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    Mute Fin Stack
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:52 PM

    @: actually one would assume that we didn’t bail out Ulster bank as its part of RBS, however and it’s not widely known or broadcast the we did indeed bail out Ulster bank, just not to the extent of the other banking gangsters on our shores.

    19
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    Mute ted hagan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 1:19 PM

    @Barry Somers:
    ‘ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) has pumped the equivalent of almost a third of its £45bn (€53bn) UK government rescue into bailing out Ulster Bank.’
    From the Irish Independent of 2013.
    Yea, but the British government did.

    13
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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Apr 24th 2018, 6:56 PM

    @Fin Stack: please enlighten us. I would be very interested to hear exact details

    2
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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:41 AM

    This is nothing new, funds disappear generally from customers bank accounts, namely by way for fees, hidden charges etc

    55
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    Mute Pat Bateman
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:09 AM

    @Joseph Dempsey: Nothing hidden Joseph, read the small print

    26
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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:04 AM

    @Pat Bateman: Yeah…not hidden.

    Aka daylight robbery

    31
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    Mute Carina Clarke
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:37 AM

    My money inbound has disappeared. My outgoing transactions are there. Got a fright this morn when I checked my balance.

    51
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    Mute Twittwootou
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:19 AM

    I had similar on the samd day last week and had 4.44 charge because i went into the minus. My balance is incorrect theid morning again. Its actually €200 over and transations that were out yesterday arent out now. Def a technical glitch occurring

    33
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    Mute John Judd
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:10 AM

    I woke up with an extra million in my account not sure what to do :o

    28
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    Mute Vigo the Carpathian
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:50 PM

    @John Judd: Touch it and you’ll probably end up with a criminal record.. Although anonymously converting it to bitcoin from a new pay as you go phone from a public wifi hotspot and claim you knew nothing about it and it would be very difficult to prove you took it…

    30
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    Mute Marie Gunbay
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    Apr 24th 2018, 2:54 PM

    @John Judd: John have you thought about putting it in an off shore account ha ha

    9
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    Mute Marie Gunbay
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    Apr 24th 2018, 3:04 PM

    @Vigo the Carpathian: Ha Ha priceless much better than an off shore account.

    2
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    Mute Guy Incognito
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:42 AM

    Transferred 200 from one account to the other at the weekend, spent 200 from the newer account. This morning I’m down 200 in that account and the 200 has reappeared in the original account somehow

    26
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    Mute Wasay
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:57 PM

    @Guy Incognito: yeah same thing happened to me this morning.

    7
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    Mute Wasay
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:59 PM

    @Guy Incognito: same thing happened to me this morning.

    5
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    Mute Wasay
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:59 PM

    @Guy Incognito: same thing happened to me this morning.

    2
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    Mute Shoot Thepiano
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:14 AM

    Not another Northern Bank robbery!!

    31
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    Mute Dan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:45 AM

    Got paid last week, sod all money in my account this week……………but then again, I am married and have a few kids………….those thieving f÷==¥£ers….

    79
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    Mute Padraig Moc Ambrois
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    Apr 24th 2018, 12:24 PM

    I’m amazed at just how many people are just some pay cheque away from being flat broke!!

    31
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    Mute Matt Donovan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 4:18 PM

    @Padraig Moc Ambrois: that’s most of us I’d say.

    38
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    Mute Elaynehb
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    Apr 24th 2018, 6:05 PM

    @Padraig Moc Ambrois: People have been saying it for years ..why is it only shocking you now?

    13
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    Mute Tom Purcell
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    Apr 24th 2018, 4:55 PM

    “Human Error” – so just what human error ended up with so many issues? Given their record, I suspect the human error was in outsourcing their operations to the cheapest yoriks they could find and now…

    16
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    Mute Geoff Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2018, 5:06 PM

    @Tom Purcell: this is the final warning for people to leave them…..this was not a human error folks but a result of abrutal it infrastructure…..more incidences like this to follow for sure

    8
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    Mute Mark Jones
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:19 AM

    Has anyone blamed Trump yet?

    17
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    Mute Paddy O'Reilly
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:36 AM

    All the more reason to move to Revolut or N26

    12
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    Mute Sinéad McCooey
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    Apr 24th 2018, 2:47 PM

    Just on web-chat and was cut short by the staff member advising me they have just been told to evacuate the building.

    11
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    Mute FrustratedASDMum
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    Apr 24th 2018, 4:24 PM

    @Sinéad McCooey: 10/10 for creativity when it comes to excuses anyway.

    20
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    Mute James Wond
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:20 AM

    Mine still in. Fake news.

    12
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    Mute Ryan Dub
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:25 AM

    It sounds like the bank has been hacked, and payments re-routed into one or more other accounts.

    9
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    Mute Isthatright
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:40 AM

    Rosetta stone

    7
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    Mute Liam Dunne
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    Apr 24th 2018, 1:48 PM

    That’s how it is with most people. Many are a week behind and if you were a farmer, you’d be a year behind !

    8
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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Apr 24th 2018, 5:19 PM

    You’ve got to wonder what in god’s name is going on at Ulster bank, their either accident prone or beyond incompetent

    8
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    Mute Kevin O'Reilly
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    Apr 24th 2018, 6:47 PM

    Ulster bank are the biggest jokers. I dont know why ppl bank with them. Incident after incident. Whats tge next blunder

    7
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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    Apr 24th 2018, 10:32 AM

    Russians ! Defo !

    16
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    Mute DeFonz
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    Apr 24th 2018, 6:04 PM

    Ulster Bank have loads of form on this, also they are last in queue to compensate customers for their tracker mortgage scam.

    5
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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:17 PM

    If the Central Bank had any guts and wasn’t so weak and ineffectual they would close this so call Bank down for once and for all

    3
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    Mute Mike Hawkins
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:03 PM

    Nothing about the Ulster Bank surprises me anymore, they have twice given me Bank drafts that
    bounced then said it was not there problem, they eventually paid up with a bonus. The main thing is what are they going to do next!!!

    2
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    Mute brian oconnell
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:04 PM

    I recently, before this, had to complain to Ulster Bank, lower o’connell street that a check i lodged through the ATM there did not appear in my account despite getting a receipt from the machine. They claimed human error!!

    2
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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
    Favourite Irish Cottage Rental
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:11 PM

    Ulster Bank an absolute shambles of a bank. From tracker mortgage fraud to its CEO refusing to appear before the Oireachtas Finance Committee they have a long track record of giving their customers and the Central Bank the two fingers. With no consequences.

    2
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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:21 PM

    How can anyone expect any better for this fraudulent shower of Bankers when they are governed by our inept, ineffectual, incompetent Central Bank who are all members of the same corrupt cost club .

    2
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    Mute rockmast
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    Apr 24th 2018, 8:30 PM

    Agency staff perhaps?

    1
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    Mute Damien Mooney
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    Apr 25th 2018, 12:16 AM

    Many billions disappeared off the books during the crash as well – ‘human error’ as well I suppose.

    1
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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Apr 24th 2018, 11:58 PM

    Never “Human Error” in aircraft accidents or IT systems failures … just bad design, which needs to be continuously improved as a cultural behavioral innate business process to deliver high reliability.

    Continuous Design Improvement … CDI

    1
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    Mute Zap Brannigan
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    Apr 24th 2018, 9:43 PM

    Better off keeping money in bitcoin lads! Check out coinbase, sign up and be your own bank!

    1
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