US Bank, PNC, Fifth Third Banks Down as Millions Check Accounts for Stimulus Checks

On Wednesday morning, banks across the country began experiencing mass outages on their websites and apps as millions of Americans started to check on their bank accounts for their stimulus payouts amid the coronavirus outbreak. With more than 80 million Americans expected to receive their coronavirus stimulus checks via direct deposit today, online platforms for banks, including the likes of U.S. Bank, PNC, and Fifth Third Banks went down as they were flooded with demand. Customers have reported issues with other banks as well, including Bank of America, TD Bank, and BB&T.

Stirring a strong response from social media, Downdetector, a site that registers real-time issues and outages, marked an influx of reported issues with U.S. Bank beginning at 7 a.m. ET. With only a handful of reported problems in the hours proceeding that, recorded issues skyrocketed to more than 2,800, the issues persisting even at the time of this posting. Of the recorded issues, 39 percent are related to online banking, 34 percent to the bank’s website, and 26 percent to mobile banking. “I can’t sign in because US Bank app is down and I called three US Bank numbers and they are busy(no answer),” one person explained the issues they are experiencing, with several others noting that they have experienced similar issues for the past several days.

Meanwhile, Downdetector shows registered issues for PNC surpassing 1,900. Of the reports, 36 pertain to online banking, 31 percent to mobile banking, and 31 percent to the website. In the comments section, those who bank with PNC have explained that they are unable to sign in online or to the mobile app. Others have encountered error messages including, “Error 500: javax.servlet.ServletException: Filter [mobilebrowser]: could not be initialized” and “Error 19: Virus detected. Your money is currently in social distancing mode.” Another explained, “‘Error 500: javax.servlet.ServletException: Filter [mobilebrowser]: could not be initialized’ after i sign in on desktop. On mobile i cant even sign in, it gives that same message instead of the homepage.”

Those who do their banking with Fifth Third have encountered similar issues. One customer shared a screenshot of an error message reading, “Attention: We are currently experiencing technical issues.” The message then directs users to call customer service for assistance. Responding to one social media user, Fifth Third explained that they “due to high volumes, some users are experiencing login issues. We are working to restore service as soon as possible.”

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