Oct. 17--The not-your-typical bank was experiencing a major, atypical technology glitch yesterday.

Thousands of Citizens Bank customers couldn't use their debit cards late yesterday afternoon due to what the bank was calling a "technical problem" tied to some cards issued last month.

Providence-based Citizens, the second largest bank in Massachusetts, was working feverishly yesterday to fix the glitch and couldn't say late yesterday afternoon when the problem would be resolved.

The bank's phone lines were jammed with frustrated customers, who were having their cards rejected at ATM machines and checkout lines.

One Boston customer who contacted the Herald said he tried to buy a sandwich at a city deli -- and was told his debit card was no good. He said he couldn't access his account at a nearby ATM, and was later told by a Citizens phone representative that it could take 24 to 48 hours to fix the problem.

Mike Jones, a Citizens spokesman, said the company "apologizes for the inconvenience" and was working hard to get people's cards up and running.

He said only a "limited number" of people were affected -- those who received new debit cards "during a few days in mid-September."

He declined to disclose how many people were affected, but the figure is believed to include thousands of customers across Citizens' 12-state footprint.

Citizens, owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, is the second local bank to experience a major malfunction on the technology front in recent weeks. TD Bank customers recently saw their transactions delayed due to computer woes, causing major headaches for those making deposits to pay bills.

jfitz@bostonherald.com

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