On Wednesday, thousands of Bank of America customers were left in disbelief after discovering their accounts displayed a zero balance due to a significant system glitch. The technical issue began around 12:30 PM ET, with reports of outages peaking at 1 PM, affecting over 18,000 users, primarily in major cities like Los Angeles and New York, according to Downdetector.
Many customers experienced heightened anxiety as they attempted to log into their accounts, only to find their balances mysteriously reduced to $0. The glitch led to widespread panic, with users fearing their funds had been stolen or lost.
Social media platforms were inundated with concerned Bank of America customers sharing their distress over the situation. One user, Jessica, expressed her alarm on X, stating, “I’m having a heart attack this morning thanks to Bank of America – they REALLY need to be addressing this.” Another user suggested the bank should consider compensation for the inconvenience caused by the glitch.
Having problems with Bank of America? Downdetector users have been reporting problems since 12:27PM EDT. https://t.co/GnJkbAdsV1
RT if you’re also having problems #BankofAmericaOutage
— Downdetector (@downdetector) October 2, 2024
While some customers reported that the bank’s website displayed their zero balances, others noted that their debt figures were still accurately represented. Interestingly, a few users discovered that the bank’s automated phone lines provided the correct account balances when contacted.
there’s some kind of glitch on the @BankofAmerica website that shows $0 in all accounts and honestly i think they owe everybody some cash for pain and suffering because that was extremely stressful for a second there
— incognito southern (@iamandyholt) October 2, 2024
In response to the outage, Bank of America acknowledged the issue in statements made to various news outlets. “Some clients are experiencing an issue accessing their accounts and balance information today,” the bank said in a statement to CNN. “These issues are being addressed and have largely been resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Despite their acknowledgment, the bank did not disclose the root cause of the outage, leaving customers in the dark about when the system would return to full functionality. The incident highlights the potential vulnerabilities within digital banking systems and the stress they can cause for users when such issues arise.
