Update: FirstLight Federal Credit Union’s system back up after outage
FirstLight Federal Credit Union’s system has been restored, according to the credit union’s website.
“The credit union recently experienced computer issues that caused an interruption to services for the majority of the day on Wednesday April 23, 2014,” said a statement from FirstLight president/CEO Karl T. Murphy around 6:30 this morning. “Systems have been up and running since 4:30 am this morning and regular operations have returned to all branch and online services. Computer system issues from our current core provider, which is the system that posts all transactions, have been corrected and services have returned to normal. Member accounts and funds were always secure and no breach of information occurred.”
Some services, such as automatic bill pay, were being affected by the outage Wednesday.
“We are experiencing a communication issue between our core technology system and our member data interference. This has temporarily blocked our ability to service your accounts. This is not a security breach and your funds are secure,” according to the statement updated at 3:42 p.m. April 23. “We apologize for the frustration that our system issue has caused you. We know there are many questions and concerns you might have about your account and funds. Please review the following information.”
This is not the first time FirstLight Federal Credit Union has had issues with its system.
In late November, ABC-7 reported that FirstLight’s system was causing its members to have problems with their accounts, including members not being able to make deposits or cash checks and cash withdrawals were capped at that time, too.
A FirstLight vice president told ABC-7 in November that the credit union’s technology was from a third-party vendor.
Below are some FAQ’s about the system issue with FirstLight’s system as posted on their website
–Will I have access to my account funds while the system is down?
–Yes.You can go to any of our branches and deposit or withdraw funds. Funds available in your account will be those that you had in your balance as of 10:00 pm, Tuesday April 22.
–Yes. Using your debit card: Your debit card will work based on your balance as of 10:00 pm, Tuesday April 22if you make purchases selecting the credit based option at the point of sale/card slide device.
– If your debit card is used as debit with your PIN authorization, a $200 limit will apply within a rolling 24 hour period.
–Will I be able to withdraw cash from my account at an ATM?
–Yes. Everything will work just as normal if you are using a FirstLight ATM. Your funds will be available based on the balance you had as 10:00 pm, Tuesday April 22. The normal $800 limit will apply.
– If you are using a non-FirstLight ATM you will also be able to withdraw from your account. To view a list of all of our ATMs please visit our website.
–Will I be charged any NSF or ODP fees while the system is down?
–No.NSF or ODP fees will not be processed during this time.
– When the system is operational FirstLight will process all credit transactions first, then debits in an attempt to avoid any fees or outside charges to your account.
–How will this affect my scheduled bills on Bill Pay?
– Any scheduled transactions will not go through while the system is down. If any late fees are created because of this, FirstLight will review cases and refunds on an individual basis.
–I need to pay a bill using my funds in my account. What are my options?
– You can use your debit card to make the payment by using it as credit.
– Funds available in your account will be based on 10:00 pm, Tuesday April 22.
–Will this affect my FirstLight credit card?
–No. Your FirstLight credit card will work as usual.
–A manual deposit was made at a FirstLight branch while the system was down. When will those funds be available for me to use?
– Any manual deposits that were made while the system was down will be posted within 24 hours once the system issue has been resolved.
–When will the system be back up?
– We expect this issue to be resolved between9:00 and 10:00 pm. We are working diligently to fix this issue and we apologize for the inconvenience.
–Will I be able to use the FirstLight Mobile app during this time?
– No.Your app and Online Banking will both be unavailable until the systems are back up.
–Will I be able to use the FirstLight PAL system during this time?
–No. PAL will be unavailable until the systems are back up.
–Will I be able to use Shared Branching services during this time?
–No. Shared Branching services will be unavailable until the systems are back up.
