Nationwide working to clear payment delays

Customers of Nationwide have been hit by payment delays which left some worried about receiving their wages just before Christmas.

Inbound and outgoing payments were subject to delays all day on Tuesday.

Nationwide, the UK's largest building society, said the issue had been resolved and it was now working through the backlog.

It apologised, thanked customers for their patience, and said any charges that had resulted would be refunded.

"We apologise for the delays that members have experienced in sending and receiving faster payments. This issue has now been resolved and all payments that had been queued are now being processed," said a Nationwide spokesman.

People expressed their concern on social media at the timing of the problems, just a few days before Christmas when finances are already stretched.

One customer wrote on Twitter: "What is going on? Not one person can give a straight answer! It's Christmas in three days and you can't tell people when they will have their money. Absolute shambles!"

Another said: "I have wages going in tonight, really need some sort of timeline or help."

Some have also complained of long waits to contact the building society on the telephone.

The Nationwide spokesman said: "Customer service remains our top priority and we thank members for their patience. We will also refund all Nationwide charges and fees incurred as a result of this issue.

"For any charges and fees incurred elsewhere, people should contact [us] to discuss these, and any related to this issue will be refunded."

It is not the only time payments errors have happened during the festive season. On Christmas Eve last year, 1.5 million customers of energy provider E.On received an unwelcome surprise when their bill payments were taken too early.