Banking & Financial Institutions

Banks report service ‘issues’ as Americans check balances for stimulus checks

 

Several banks are reporting service “issues” Wednesday, while Americans are checking their balances for the federal stimulus checks.

Banks across the country say their websites, applications and phone lines are experiencing problems under the high volume of traffic.

About 80 million Americans were scheduled to receive their coronavirus stimulus checks through direct deposit by Wednesday, prompting many to check their accounts.

Fifth Third Bank posted that its applications and phone lines are “experiencing intermittent and temporary issues.”

“We are working as quickly as possible to restore these services for affected customers,” the bank tweeted. “We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.”

BB&T also reported problems with their mobile banking, adding, “We understand how important it is for you to have access to your account info, especially now.”

The Alliant Credit Union apologized to a customer who criticized the bank for saying there were “delayed response times” when the website reportedly wasn’t working. 

“We apologize for the inconvenience while many people are attempting to view their federal stimulus checks,” the bank said. “Our team understands and is working hard towards restoring full access to online banking.”

A PNC spokesperson told The Hill that PNC customers are seeing “intermittent mobile and care center access” on Wednesday “like other banks.” The bank’s technical teams are involved to “address the issue.”

“This is the result of an unprecedented volume of customers using these channels to check their accounts for Economic Impact Payments and other forms of financial hardship relief,” PNC spokesperson Marcey Zwiebel said in a statement.

Similarly, CEFCU also apologized to customers for issues associated with online and mobile banking and said all financial institutions are experiencing “extreme levels of website traffic.”

Pinnacle Bank in Wyoming said its online banking and mobile application are “down” because of the high traffic. 

In a statement to The Hill, TD Bank said that “some customers briefly experienced intermittent mobile app log-in issues this morning,” but added the problem was “resolved quickly.”

The IRS announced Wednesday that it developed a web tool, called Get My Payment, to help people retrieve their stimulus checks faster by providing direct deposit information. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that 80 million Americans have already received the payments.

The coronavirus relief checks are a one-time direct payment to most Americans of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. 

President Trump’s name is expected to appear on the paper checks, which the agency will start mailing early next week, the Treasury Department confirmed.

Updated: 4:05 p.m.

 
Tags Coronavirus coronavirus stimulus package COVID-19 Donald Trump Fifth Third Bank Steven Mnuchin stimulus checks

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