CIMB Singapore said its core banking systems and customer accounts were not compromised, after some customers reported having zero or negative balances in their accounts.
In a media reply on the evening of Jun 29, the bank said the glitch was due to a technical issue, without elaborating.
The bank said it successfully cleared both inbound and outbound transactions, but certain transactions were not reflected in the bank account balances of “a small group of affected customers”.
It added that all affected customers “will have their funds posted into their account in the next 24 hours” and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
Earlier in a Facebook post at 1.45 pm, CIMB Singapore said it was aware of the disruption and is working to resolve it.
“The root cause has been identified… We assure all our customers that your account is safe and we thank you for your understanding,” it said.
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Logistics assistant Irman Suratnor told The Straits Times that he found that two of his savings accounts had zero balances when he checked his bank app at around 12.30 pm.
A third account showed a negative balance of S$29.
The 42-year-old said that he had about S$5,000 across the three accounts.
“It was shocking to see that my bank balance was S$0. I thought the bank was being hacked,” he said.
Irman added that he was unable to make transfers and payments on his banking app.
He said he contacted the bank for help, but his three accounts still reflected a zero or negative balance as at 7 pm on Jun 29.
He said: “It’s been a stressful day. I have some bills and debts due today.
“How am I going to send money?”
Several others have recounted similar experiences of having zero or negative account balances on the bank’s Facebook page.
In a Facebook update on Jun 30, CIMB Singapore said a majority of its affected customers have had their transaction postings reflected in their bank accounts.
It added that it is working with the remaining small group of affected customers, whose accounts require additional checks to resolve the issue.
“We would like to assure that our core banking systems remain secure, and our channels remain effective,” said the bank.
It added that it will provide updates on the CIMB website and its Facebook page. THE STRAITS TIMES
