HSBC down: Thousands of fuming Brits say bank app & online service have crashed

THOUSANDS of Brits have been left fuming after HSBC's bank app and online service appeared to crash tonight.

Problems started shortly after 8pm, according to Downdetector, with more than 5,000 reports of issues.

The banking giant acknowledged issues with services more than two hours after they were first reported, reassuring customers they were “investigating”.

In a tweet, HSBC said: “We understand that some customers aren’t able to access banking services as usual at the moment.

“We’re investigating, and ask that you please try again in a bit.

“We’ll share an update as soon as possible.”

Hundreds of users quickly took to social media, asking the bank for answers as their apps flashed the error code “API_103”.

Many complained that they weren't able to pay for their Friday night takeaways, shopping or drinks at the pub.

While others claimed their debit cards had been declined while trying to pay for items, leaving them "embarrassed".

And some worried about what would happen with their money, saying they might "wake up broke".

A division of HSBC, First Direct, said it was aware of “some ongoing issues” with banking services.

Reassuring customers, the tweet read: “We’re aware there are some ongoing issues with some of our banking services.

“Our IT teams are working hard to get things back up and running as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, please do not delete your mobile banking app.”

HSBC ran into problems earlier this year as well, with customers in April and again in June complaining about a glitch that left them unable to use the banking app or make payments.

HSBC UK has been approached for comment.