Bank glitch fixed, but headaches remain

Two British banks said they were working around the clock to clear up problems caused by a computer glitch that froze the accounts of millions of customers. Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest said they would keep around 1,000 branch offices open until Sunday evening to calm nerves and help customers access their money, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. The banks are both owned by RBS Group, which has been bailed out by taxpayers. The banks have said the computer problem has been solved, but a massive backlog of transactions stands in the way of normal operations. The glitch began Tuesday. Since then, millions of automatic transactions have been stalled. Automatic bill payments have gone past deadlines, and some customers have been evicted from recently purchased homes because the money has not come through, the newspaper said. Some customers have been stranded while traveling, while others have not received their paychecks, which are set up through electronic deposit. An RBS Group spokesman said "no customer will be left permanently out of pocket" due to the technical problems.