Automatic deposits, payments delayed at credit unions across Prairies due to network outage

A network outage affecting credit unions across the Canadian Prairies on Friday has delayed automatic deposits and payments.

Credit unions across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta had notices on their websites advising of the outage on Friday morning.

The notice on the website for Access Credit Union, the largest credit union in Manitoba, said the vendor that provides payment services to most Prairie credit unions delayed automatic deposits early Friday due to an issue within its network.

The problem was a "connectivity incident" that started around 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, said a spokesperson for Prairie Payments Joint Venture Communications — a joint venture between the credit union centrals of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba that provides payments services for the more than 50 Prairie credit unions that are its owners and clients.

Prairie Payments confirmed the issue was in a third-party data centre, the spokesperson told Radio-Canada in an email around 3 p.m. CT on Friday.

Recovery was "in progress" at that point and expected to be completed later Friday afternoon, the spokesperson said.

The issue "affected multiple payment applications," said Prairie Payments.

Access Credit Union's online statement said the outage has affected automated fund withdrawals for loan payments and other services to different financial institutions.

Any automatic payments or transfers that were internal, regular and scheduled will be attempted again within 24 hours, the credit union said.

Winnipeg's Assiniboine Credit Union posted a similar statement on its website, saying clients affected by the network outage won't rack up fees or penalties due to the delay.

Credit unions in Saskatchewan also posted about the outage, including Affinity Credit Union, whose online notice said the network connectivity issue was delaying direct deposits and cheque clearing, and that wires were unavailable.

Alberta's largest credit union, Servus, said in a Friday morning post on the social media site X that direct deposits to and from accounts were delayed for all Alberta credit union members.