HSBC down updates — Bank releases major update following Black Friday outage that left customers furious

HSBC logo explained, continued

It was created using the house flag of the bank, which is a red hourglass formed by dividing a white rectangle diagonally.

Due to the nationality of the founder and similar to many other 19th-century Hong Kong corporate flags, the design was based on the cross of Saint Andrew. Henry Steiner, an Austrian graphic designer, created the logo.

HSBC made some little adjustments to its logo in 2018. The wordmark was moved from the left to the right, made smaller, and replaced with the licensed bespoke typeface Univers Next for HSBC in place of Serif.

The red of the logo was made somewhat darker.

HSBC logo explained

In an effort to improve the organization's global awareness among customers, shareholders, and employees, the group said in November 1998 that the HSBC brand and the hexagon symbol would be used as the unifying brand in all of the markets in which it operates.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation first used the hexagon symbol as part of their logo in 1983.

Resolving HSBC issues

HSBC advises you to with it on Twitter first.

But visit your nearby HSBC bank if you really must access your money. Using its shop locator, you may locate your neighborhood branch.

You can try contacting the bank and asking for advice on what to do if there isn't a local bank branch close by or if you don't have transportation to get there.

Visit HSBC's website for further information on how to get in touch with them.

If you are in immediate need of money, the bank can offer to cover the cost of your cab fare to the closest branch, or it might assist you in obtaining the necessary service over the phone.

Checking if HSBC is down

You may monitor the status of HSBC's many services, such as its ATMs and mobile, phone, and online banking, on a specific webpage.

Social media is a great way for banks to keep their clients updated, so be sure to follow HSBC on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

You may also look at websites like Down Detector, which can inform you whether other users are having issues with a specific company's website.

But keep in mind that as this website depends on user-reported problems, its accuracy is not always guaranteed.

DOWN AND OUT

Is HSBC's app down? Online banking problems explained

More about HSBC

Serving almost 39 million clients, HSBC has offices, branches, and subsidiaries in 62 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America.

In the Forbes rankings of major corporations, which take into account sales, earnings, assets, and market value, it was placed 20th in the world as of 2023.

HSBC is a component of the FTSE 100 Index and the Hang Seng Index, and it has a dual main listing on the London Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Both the Bermuda Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange have secondary listings for it.

Everything to know about HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc, formerly known as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and locally referred to as HongkongBank in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s, is a financial services group and universal bank based in London, England.

It has a multinational presence and historical and commercial ties to East Asia. In terms of total assets as of December 2021, it surpassed BNP Paribas to become the largest bank in Europe, with $2.953 trillion.

HSBC had $4.9 trillion in assets under administration (AUA) and $10.8 trillion in assets under custody (AUC) in 2021.

What to do if bank refuses to compensate me

You may get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for free if you're not content with the way the bank handled your issue.

It is an impartial body that will consider the information you provide and render an impartial judgment about the course of action a bank ought to pursue.

Generally, the FOS might become engaged 15 days after you bring up your issues with the bank.

According to the FOS, if a bank has an IT system failure, your circumstances and whether you suffered a loss will determine whether you are entitled to compensation.

Can I claim compensation for an outage?

Banks aren’t obliged to pay compensation to customers if there’s been an outage or if they’ve experienced technical issues.

But you might be entitled to some money back depending on how much the disruption affected you.

You’ll have to present evidence of how the outage negatively affected you, including any extra costs incurred through possible late payment fees.

You should make a note of when you were unable to access the services and the names of the people you spoke to at the company that suffered the outage.

You can find more detail about how to complain to Santander on its website.

More on claiming compensation

If your bank doesn’t resolve any complaint, you can take your case up with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

It is an independent body which will resolve any issues based on what it thinks is “fair and reasonable” depending on the circumstances of the case.

The service can resolve your issue over the phone, by email or by post depending on what best suits you.

In the case of an IT system outage at a bank, the FOS says any compensation you may receive will be dependent on your circumstances and whether you lost any money as a result.

If it finds the bank was at fault, you may see any fees, charges or fines reimbursed.

HSBC's origins

HSBC's origin belongs to a hong trading house in British Hong Kong.

The bank was originally legally formed in 1866, and it began operating branches in Shanghai in 1865.

The current parent company, HSBC Holdings plc, was founded in London in 1991, and the bank with its roots in Hong Kong, whose initials were used to give the group its name, became a fully-owned subsidiary of that company.

When HSBC acquired Midland Bank the next year (1992), it grew to become one of the biggest domestic banks in the UK.

Customers slam HSBC for outage lasting '12 hours'

HSBC customers are slamming the company for not having its outage resolved after 12 hours.

One customer : "This is pathetic!! A massive company and in 12 hours you still can’t get this sorted!"

Another to the company's 7 pm update: "12 hours down doesn't feel like 'working hard', sounds more like major disaster and inadequate back up systems, no doubt to maximise profit."

User shared 'hack' to access HSBC

Though the hack has not been vetted by HSBC, one user a tip on how to gain access to the banking app.

"For anyone needing to access the HSBC app today," the person tweeted, "you can turn on Airplane mode as you open the app, then turn it off again. You should get this screen - hit ‘return to log on’ and you should be able to access it as normal."

One person who tried it said: "I've just gotten into the app twice by launching the app with no data or wi fi connection. it then asks to connect, so connect to wi fi or you data and it works. just paid all the things I needed to. then when you log out it goes back to saying the app doesn't work."

Users complaining about issues

HSBC users are complaining about issues with online and mobile banking services.

One person tweeted: "Going out to tonight. #HSBC app been down all day. No idea how much cash I have to play with.

"Like being a student again and hoping transactions go through."

Another wrote: "Is the @HSBC_UK app going to be down all day or are we allowed to access our money at some point."

Is internet and mobile banking safe?

Internet and mobile banking is a more convenient way to manage your money and is generally safe as long as you keep your details secure.

Banks and building societies have plenty of processes to keep their websites and apps secure or they could get in trouble with the Financial Conduct Authority.

Their websites are encrypted so only you can view your account page and they are programmed to time out after a period of inactivity.

They will have strict login processes that may require a card reader or sending a code to your mobile phone.

There are steps you can take such as setting up a login and password that cannot be easily guessed and only logging into your account from a secure and private wi-fi connection.

Also, check who you are transferring money to and ensure they are legitimate.

The rise of online banking has also encouraged scammers to try to dupe account holders with emails and text messages.

Always check details with your bank separately.

The main providers also offer a service that verifies the details of someone you are transferring money to, which gives you an extra layer of security and ensures that person or company is genuine.

How can I check if HSBC is down?

HSBC has a dedicated web page where you can check the status of its various services, including mobile, telephone and internet banking, and its ATMs.

Banks often update their customers on social media, so definitely check out HSBC’s Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.

You can also check websites such as Down Detector, which will tell you whether other people are experiencing problems with a particular company online.

HSBC's last update six hours ago

HSBC last updated customers on whether mobile and online banking was being fixed, was six hours ago.

The bank took to its X page, formerly known as Twitter, to tell customers they were working on fixing the issue.

A spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry if you’re impacted by a disruption to Online and Mobile Banking right now.

"If you’re not able to authorise an online card purchase via the app, you can opt for a one time passcode via SMS. We’ll share updates here."

HSBC has around 14.8 million customers - who could be impacted by service issues

HSBC has around 14.8 million customers, according to its website.

It's not known how many have been affected by mobile and online banking being down.

HSBC said it will update customers when it is working.

HSBC online and mobile banking service still down

As of 5pm, HSBC's online and mobile banking services are still down.

It has been having issues since around 7am this morning (Friday, November 24, 2023).

It's not known when services will be back up and running.

HSBC down on one of the biggest shopping days of the year

HSBC’s online and mobile banking went down on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Black Friday is today (Friday, November 24, 2023) which sees shops discount their merchendise.

Some HSBC customers may not be able to buy goods due to online and mobile banking being down.

HSBC apologise to customers for online and mobile banking being down

HSBC issued a tweet where they have apologised to customers for online and mobile banking services being down.

A spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry if you’re impacted by a disruption to Online and Mobile Banking right now.

"If you’re not able to authorise an online card purchase via the app, you can opt for a one time passcode via SMS.

"We’ll share updates here."

HSBC customers can use one time SMS passcode for online purchases

HSBC customers are able to use a one time SMS passcode for online purchases while mobile and online banking is down.

Those who are not able to use online banking as usual can request a code instead.

HSBC has been down since around 7am this morning, with reports of issues still coming in.