CAF Bank outage leaves UK charities without online account access

The CAF Bank outage has left about 14,000 UK charity customers without online banking access for a week, with the bank still unable to say when service will return. The disruption matters beyond routine account access: charities have told the BBC they are struggling to make payments to staff and suppliers, including payroll.

CAF Bank told customers on Thursday that it was still not in a position to bring the online service back safely, according to a message seen by The Register. The bank said it had detected attempted fraud on some accounts and suspended access while investigating.

According to CAF Bank, that investigation found a vulnerability it had not previously known about in the link between its own systems and third-party software. The bank said its technical team is working with suppliers and outside specialists on a fix. The Register reported that no timetable has been set for restoring online banking.

When will CAF Bank online banking be restored?

CAF Bank has not given customers a restoration date. Its position, according to statements reported by The Register, is that it will not reopen online access until it is satisfied the issue has been resolved safely.

Earlier in the week, CAF Bank chief executive Alison Taylor apologized for the disruption and said the bank was aware of the effect on customers. She said the core bank was not affected, while adding that online access could not be restored until the bank had assurance that the problem had been fixed.

The distinction between the core bank and online banking is material for customers, but it does not solve the operational problem for organizations that depend on digital access to move money. For charities with small finance teams, losing online banking access can quickly become a payroll and supplier-payment issue rather than a back-office inconvenience.

The BBC reported that some charities have been unable to make essential payments. Kevan Hodges, chief executive of Down's syndrome charity 21 Together, told the BBC the outage was “appalling” and said staff were worried wages might not be paid while the charity tried unsuccessfully to reach the bank.

Bali Rodgers, chief executive of Safer Communities Alliance, told the BBC that the grassroots organizations it represents were gradually losing confidence in CAF Bank. The bank serves a sector where trust in transaction reliability is part of the product, especially for smaller organizations with limited cash buffers and little spare administrative capacity.

The outage also follows a separate technology problem at CAF Bank last year. After the bank introduced a new banking platform, customers reported being unable to log in or make transactions. CAF Bank later apologized for those issues, but it has not disclosed how much it spent on the system.

CAF Bank held £1.45 billion, or about $1.93 billion, in customer deposits at the end of its 2024/25 financial year. The bank has not disclosed how many accounts were targeted in the attempted fraud, which third-party software was involved, or when customers should expect full online access to resume.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.