NatWest has issued a statement after customers reported their money had “disappeared” from their online bank account. Hundreds of users were impacted over the weekend and at the start of this week, with one user reporting being left significantly out of pocket after trying to withdraw money from an account.
The bank, which has over 20 million customers across the UK, said the issue was linked to its new Savings Pot feature, which allows customers to separate funds from their main current account to budget or save. Users can create personalised “Pots” to separate money, but some reported seeing the funds completely disappear from their account.
One man told The Sun: “I transferred £3,500 back out of the pot into my account to pay for an Airbnb and the money has disappeared.” However, staff at NatWest could not explain where the money had gone or when it would be returned to his account.
The customer continued: “They can see that the transaction has been posted, but did not know where my money was. I’m now £3,500.00 overdrawn and have no idea where my money is.”
In an update on Tuesday afternoon (April 14), NatWest confirmed the technical issue had been resolved. The bank added that affected customers will see their balances corrected while no users lost money as a result of the issue.
A NatWest spokesperson said: “Some customers have experienced a delay when withdrawing or topping-up their Pots through our mobile app and online banking.
“We’ve resolved this and are applying these transactions to customers’ accounts, so they will see their balances update shortly. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
The bank added that only NatWest customers had been impacted. Those using its other brands, including Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank, had not been affected.