Some ATMs operated by MUFG Bank suffered a glitch Tuesday morning, causing the machines not to return depositors’ cash cards and bank books after use.
A total of 207 ATMs were out of service for 10 minutes at around 10 a.m. The core unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. confirmed that there had been 103 incidents of cash cards and bank books being swallowed by the machines.
The glitch has been fixed, and the bank is working to return the bank books and cash cards.
The problem mainly affected unattended ATMs in the eastern Kanto region between 9:55 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. It is believed to have been caused by a software issue, and not equipment failure. The bank said it was looking into the details.
Including the 103 incidents, there were 188 reports of transactions not having been executed properly. The number of ATMs affected may rise to 276, according to the bank.
MUFG Bank sent staff to the affected ATMs to help customers.
The bank will contact depositors whose bank books and cash cards were not been returned so that the items can be passed back to their owners, an official said.
“We deeply apologize for causing inconvenience,” the official said.
In February this year, industry rival Mizuho Bank saw 70% of its ATMs halted by a glitch. The bank confirmed 5,244 incidents in which cash cards and bank books were seized by the machines.
The issue caused many customers long waits as the bank took time to respond adequately.
