HSBC Bank: FAIL

Where would we be without the hole in the wall, that magical machine that provides us with cash whenever we need it? Where would we be without online banking, that magical system that lets us pay our bills via the Web? Customers of the HSBC bank in the UK found out over the weekend when it suffered an ATM network outage that caused them both to FAIL.

I know, being an HSBC customer myself and attempting to make a couple of bill payments on Sunday only to be met with an 'I'm Sorry Dave, I'm Afraid I Can't Do That' style message. Trouble is this was not some science fiction computer, this was a network operated by one the biggest banking groups in the world. FAIL should not be in the dictionary as far as it is concerned.

HSBC has apologised to all customers and promised that a "full investigation is currently underway" in order to find out what went wrong but that could take several weeks to complete. I cannot help but wonder if this was due to the ongoing common platform business integration process that is underway at HSBC, known as One HSBC?

[CarliZ]

I admit that my life almost revolves around money. Everything I do is conveyed with money. And my life is worse now that we are still experiencing the financial crisis. We all need financial help at times. Financial help can come in many forms – a paycheck, a tax return check (love the Earned Income Credit!), a loan of some sort like a payday loan. There are a lot of different things can help to fix money problems. The bottom line is cash; we all need a little now and again, even if it's cash for fun or for a vacation or if we came up short and we have the power bill to contend with. There are many options to consider when you need a helping hand, whether you want to go to a bank or use a credit card or a cash advance for some financial help.