Dhe recent wave of technology changeovers at Postbank has once again got on the nerves of some customers. Complaints about error messages and problems registering in online banking could be read on Monday in social networks such as Twitter and on portals such as “alle disturbances.de”.
Deutsche Bank, to which Postbank belongs, spoke of an overall successful transfer of millions of data. In a statement sent on Monday evening, the bank apologized for the ongoing restrictions: “The Postbank app is currently temporarily unavailable. Our teams are working flat out to find a solution. We ask our customers to excuse this temporary restriction.”
Postbank had informed customers in advance that there would be restrictions due to the transfer of customer data to a joint IT platform with Deutsche Bank from Friday through Monday: from March 31, 5:00 p.m. to April 3, 9:00 a.m. respectively 2 p.m. Banking transactions were therefore not possible using the Postbank app via smartphone, online on the home computer or by telephone. It was also not possible to withdraw cash from Postbank ATMs during the changeover.
“On Monday morning, all branches nationwide were able to open as usual and the ATMs and service terminals went into operation as planned. There were no technical faults or failures,” explained Deutsche Bank.
According to project manager Karsten Roesch, Postbank customers may not be able to view their transactions for up to ten days as a result of the data migration. “The credit card can usually always be used, there are hardly any restrictions,” Roesch emphasized in an interview with the German Press Agency. “It is the viewing of balances and transactions that only works afterwards.”
Measured by the number of customers, the third wave of data transfer that has now been completed was the largest: According to earlier information, data from around five million Postbank customers was brought to the common platform: current accounts, overnight money and time deposits, as well as savings products.
The “Unity” project should be completed by mid-2023. Twelve million Postbank customers will then be brought together with seven million Deutsche Bank customers in Germany on one IT platform. Deutsche Bank wants to save 300 million euros per year from 2025 onwards.