Phil Neugebauer, spokesman at Allianz Global Investors, said that Allianz's call centers, which also handle customer inquiries for subsidiary Pimco's mutual funds, reported "no greater than normal volume" of calls Monday.

WSJ: Mutual Funds Seeing a Muted Reaction

Some call centre staff have been moved from personal banking inquiries to taking calls from businesspeople owing to the issue.

BBC: Anger over Abbey's online glitch

In an exchange of letters, Mr Hester apologised for the incident but said that a large number of inquiries were dealt with instantly by branch and call centre staff.

BBC: RBS computer failure needs clear redress, says MP

Though he has had some interest from overseas, his inquiries typically come from wealthy types looking for a unique place to call home--or members of the Society for Creative Anachronisms , a medieval reenactment group.

FORBES: Castles For Sale

The staff of the Cairo Embassy has been overwhelmed by inquiries and the State Department now has a 24-7 task force and call centers, said Assistant Secretary of State Janice L. Jacobs.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

We call on you to stop the deal and ensure that regulators fully assess on the basis of the public inquiries whether the Murdochs are fit and proper people to run a broadcaster.

FORBES: After UK Scandal, Media Activists Gunning For Rupert Murdoch