The bank said that a server fault started at 14:45 GMT but was being restored on a phased basis at 17:00.

BBC: HSBC and First Direct online and ATM services hit

As Lehman Brothers ' bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch 's acquisition by Bank of America sent investors scurrying for safety Monday, technology vendors ranging from microprocessor company Advanced Micro Devices to server vendor Sun Microsystems began to feel pain.

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