Bank of America customers were taken aback on Wednesday as a widespread outage led to account balances displaying as zero on both the bank’s website and mobile app. The glitch, which began around 9:30 AM PT, impacted thousands of users, resulting in peak complaints of over 20,500 on Downdetector. While some balances showed as zero, others displayed outdated or incorrect figures, causing confusion and concern.
The errors appeared to be concentrated in larger cities, but this could be due to population density rather than targeted disruptions. Frustrated users reported issues ranging from the inability to access accounts to balances suddenly showing zero for both checking and savings accounts.
One user mentioned that their account was functioning normally earlier in the day, but upon rechecking, the balance was either zero or displaying a previous day’s amount. Bank of America has yet to release an official statement, leaving many users in limbo. The incident has drawn comparisons to the bank’s infamous four-day outage in 2011, which was attributed to a technical failure rather than a cyberattack.
Bank of America’s technical team is working to address the issue, but there is no clear timeline for resolution at this time. For now, affected customers are advised to keep a close watch on their accounts and to refrain from making any major transactions until normal service is restored.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of having alternate banking options and backup plans in case of such unexpected outages, which can lead to unnecessary panic and financial disruption. Bank of America has pledged to keep users informed as they work to resolve the problem.
As the situation unfolds, users are advised to monitor the bank’s official channels for further updates and refrain from sharing sensitive information unless directly connected to verified customer service representatives.