New M&T Bank customers frustrated with account system disruptions after combination with People’s United Bank
Customer disruptions marked M&T Bank’s broad-based entry in Connecticut, as the Buffalo-based bank combined account and operating systems with the former People’s United Bank over the Labor Day weekend.
A message on M&T’s website Tuesday said: “We are experiencing unusually high volumes in the contact center and M&T mobile and online banking which may impact your experience. Please try back again later.”
Eric Sardaryan, a newly-minted, but frustrated M&T customer outside a branch in Glastonbury, was more blunt in his assessment Tuesday.
“It’s a mess,” Sardaryan said. “You can’t go online. If you go online, it asks you to put in your password and you can’t. It doesn’t take it. If you call, it’s a wait. Nobody picking up the phone. If you come here, they tell you you’re going to have to wait, possibly until tomorrow, because the system is down.”
Sardaryan said he came to branch to deposit checks, which he usually does on his mobile app.
On the website, M&T said, “We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.” M&T also gave instructions for former People’s United customers logging into the online banking system.
M&T Bank’s $8.3 billion acquisition in April of Bridgeport-based People’s United Bank brought with it hundreds of thousands of consumer and business customers in Connecticut. The operating and account systems of the two banks weren’t combined until this past holiday weekend.
Some customers reported ATM and debit cards that were not working, and waits of two or three hours to have a call answered at the bank’s customer service center. Some customers still had not received their debit cards.
The frustration bubbled over on social media Tuesday.
In Fairfield, a Twitter user tweeted at 10 a.m.: “Hey @MandT_Bank I followed all your instructions and now have a “M&T Online Banking is temporarily unavailable. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.” This cannot happen. #epicfailure I’ll be switching banks shortly.”
M&T tweeted in reply: “Hi... We understand your frustration and appreciate your patience. Technology is aware of the difficulties and are diligently working on it. We recommend trying to sign on later today, – Lynne T.”
The same Twitter user wrote back in a response at 1 p.m.: “I don’t think you do. I was finally able to log on but guess what? My credit card receipts from 9/2 and 9/3 have not posted. What kind of organization are you running?”
Despite the disruptions, the state Department of Banking said, at mid-afternoon Tuesday, it had not received any complaints.
In a statement at 4 p.m. Tuesday, an M&T spokesman said all customers of the bank should now have access to their accounts online, through the mobile app and in the branches.
“As we communicated over the past few weeks, this weekend was a significant one for our customers, while we transitioned systems and converted accounts,” the spokesman said, “As of this morning, almost half of our new customers have been in touch with us for their banking needs, through one or more of our channels. Due to this increase in volume as customers contact us, they may experience longer than normal wait times.”
“We expect this delay to be temporary as we continue to address these issues to make it easier for customers to access their accounts quickly,” the spokesman said.
M&T offered these tips for customers experiencing delays:
Log into the online banking system at mtb.com to check balances, transfer funds and pay bills. If you experienced challenges earlier, please try again, M&T advises.
The M&T first time log-In link is just for the first time only. After that, customers are able to log into mtb.com.
The automated telephone banking system can be used to check balances and recent activity.
M&T’s 2,200 ATMs can be used to check balances, make deposits and access cash.
Many common questions and challenges, including bill pay and account access, are addressed at M&T’s multimedia welcome center, which also includes comprehensive frequently asked questions and demonstration videos – mtb.com/peoples
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
