Technical error leaves thousands of AIB customers out of pocket

A technical glitch sparked panic among tens of thousands of AIB customers yesterday when ATMs deducted money from their accounts, but did not deliver the cash.

Bank staff worked late into the night to identify the affected customers and restore their balances after the problem struck on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The bank blamed a third-party service provider and said no customer would be left out of pocket, but the malfunction caused anger and alarm across the country, with long queues at ATMs and in banks as people caught unawares attempted to find out what happened to their money.