Customers of First Bank Limited may find
it difficult to carry out some banking transactions from Thursday to
Monday due to the decision to shut down the bank’s branches nationwide
during the period.
The shutdown, according to the bank, is
to enable it upgrade its core banking application from Finacle 7 to
Finacle 10, which will ensure easier and faster customer services and
experience.
Our correspondent gathered that the
decision to shut down operations in order to facilitate the migration to
Finacle 10 would affect the bank’s over 700 branches nationwide.
Apart from all the branches being shut,
Point of Sale transactions and transaction alerts by Short Message
Service will not be possible during the period. In addition, all card
services, except Visa prepaid card, will not be available via Quick
Teller and the Web.
First Bank said in an explanatory note,
“All transactions that will impact on the banking platform e.g.
settlements, inter bank (RTGS, NEFT, FIP) inflows, will not be
available.”
However, the bank said skeletal services
would be available on its ATMs throughout the migration period until
5pm on Sunday, and would be restored at 6am on Monday.
Online banking services, according to
the bank, will also be available until 5pm on Sunday and be restored at
6am on Monday, while its mobile money services will be available
throughout the migration period.
The bank had notified its customers
through SMS and email of the development and apologised for
inconveniences that they might suffer as a result of the platform
upgrade.
The Group Managing Director, First Bank,
Mr. Bisi Onasanya, said in an open letter to the customers, “I write to
thank you for your continuous patronage and inform you of our plan to
upgrade our core banking application as part of the ongoing
transformation of the bank.
“I am particularly excited at the
prospect of this milestone as it represents the opportunity to
significantly transform our service delivery to you in many respects,
while also supporting our plans for the introduction of new and
innovative products as we anticipate your every banking need.
“This is a major project and on account
of the technical requirements, we regret that there will be some
disruptions to our services for about three days, while the upgrade is
ongoing.”
Onasanya said only intra-bank
transactions would be available on the alternative channels while the
upgrade was going on, adding that the clearing of customers’ might also
be slightly delayed but that all investments due on any transaction
within the period would only be terminated when all services were
restored without affecting the value dates or the value of accrued
interests on such investments.
However, the decision is causing anxiety
among the customers of the bank, who complained that the planned
shutdown would further compound the problems they had been coping with
lately in accessing the institution’s services.
For instance, customers have been
complaining of not being able to draw cash from the bank’s Automated
Teller Machines for sometime now, while money transfers to other banks
from First Bank branches have been difficult in the last two weeks.
When contacted, the spokesman of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Ugo Okoroafor, said he was not aware of the
plans by the bank to close its branches and urged our correspondent to
call back to enable him make enquiries.
However, subsequent calls and SMS sent
to his mobile telephone line were unanswered as of 9.30pm when this
report was put together.
(Punch)
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