For USAA Online Banking Customers: I just tried to access my accounts through the online service, only to find that I couldn't make a connection. Finally called USAA, and was told that their server(s) has been down for the past two hours. They couldn't tell me what the problem was, just that they are "working on it". They are getting lots of calls from frustrated members trying to check on the status of their accounts. They were able to confirm, using one of their inhouse computers, that my direct deposit did arrive on 12/31. Based on their public statements and notices to members, I understand that USAA took a very proactive approach and started working on the y2k thing years ago, and has done extensive testing of all their systems and interconnections. Interesting. Coincidence? Who knows.

-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@tymewyse.com), January 03, 2000

Answers

Things like this happen all the time. I have lost count of the amount of times that the on-line banking offered by my financial institution has gone down.

Gaz

"Just because my car thinks its 1900 doesn't mean it will turn into a horse" - News & Observer

-- gaz (gazebo@gazebo.com), January 03, 2000.

Typical excuse.....yes, I'm served from USAA too. It's getting fixed.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 03, 2000.

As a point of interest.

We have had some interaction with the people implementing the on-line banking and investment applications at USAA. If this is web-based, it is entirely possible that this has nothing whatsoever to do with y2k. The systems in question are NT web servers with RS6000 application servers and DB2 databases. They did have a lot of problems handling the load in this system back in Feb/Mar. 99 when they were trying to deploy it.

We were not able to sell them our product which helps solve performance problems because they were too busy to look up.

It is kind of like not taking time to sharpen your axe because you are too busy chopping wood. Get my meaning?

-- William R. Sullivan (wrs@wham.com), January 03, 2000.