Customers of Lloyds and Halifax, both subsidiaries of the Lloyds Banking Group, experienced disruptions with their banking applications this morning. Users reported difficulties in making and receiving payments, raising concerns about the reliability of digital banking services.
Recent Outages and Customer Reactions
This latest incident follows a significant outage at Barclays last Friday, which the bank attributed to a “technology issue.” Many Barclays customers found themselves unable to access their funds or complete transactions over the weekend.
According to Downdetector, a service monitoring platform, reports of issues with the Lloyds and Halifax apps began surfacing around 7 a.m. on Monday, with several hundred users indicating they were affected.
In response to the growing concerns, Lloyds took to social media to address customer complaints. A representative stated, “We know some customers are having issues making or receiving payments. We’re sorry for this and are working to have everything back to normal.” Halifax echoed this sentiment in their replies to customers on social media.
Later in the morning, Lloyds clarified that the problems seemed to be primarily related to receiving payments, urging customers not to attempt duplicate transactions. They reassured users that online banking, app, and telephone banking services remained operational.
Hi, I’m Colin S. We know some customers are having issues receiving payments. Please do not make the payment again. Customers can still use online banking, our app & telephone banking as usual. We’re sorry for this & are working to have everything back to normal.
— Lloyds (@LloydsBank) February 3, 2025
The timing of these glitches is particularly notable, as many bank branches are set to close in the coming months. Lloyds Banking Group recently announced plans to shutter 136 high street branches, including 61 each from Lloyds and Halifax, along with 14 from Bank of Scotland, between May 2023 and March 2026. This decision aligns with their strategy to cut costs and enhance digital banking capabilities.
Industry Perspectives on Banking Reliability
Stephen Perkins, Managing Director at Yellow Brick Mortgages, commented on the situation, stating, “Recent banking issues are a stark reminder of our reliance on online banking and apps. Such incidents in an increasingly cash-less society can cause great damage to the most vulnerable in society and disrupt business and the economy.” He raised questions about whether the recent outages were mere coincidences or indicative of deeper systemic issues.
Dariusz Karpowicz, Director at Albion Financial Advice, echoed these sentiments, noting the troubling pattern of technological disruptions in the banking sector. He pointed out that the timing of these issues, following the chaos surrounding the self-assessment tax deadline, has left customers and businesses in a precarious position. “These consecutive failures in our major banking institutions raise serious questions about the resilience of our financial infrastructure in an increasingly digital economy,” he remarked.
We know some customers are having issues receiving payments. We’re sorry for this and are working to have everything back to normal. You’ll see options for raising your concerns at: https://t.co/zowKGeDLyl. ^Will
— Halifax (@HalifaxBank) February 3, 2025
Keith Budden, Managing Director at Ensurety, added his perspective, suggesting that while the issues at Lloyds and Halifax may not be directly related to Barclays’ recent outage, they highlight the importance of diversifying banking options. “It can make sense to have an emergency credit card or a deposit of some spare cash into an account of an unrelated bank. At least then, if an app problem does occur, you can still put fuel in the car and food on the table,” he advised.
