Pension payments to seniors who bank with HSBC were delayed yesterday, according to the Department of Social Insurance.

A department spokeswoman did not give the cause for the hold-up, but confirmed that there was “a slight delay in processing some monthly pensions”.

The spokeswoman said: “We understand the inconvenience this may have caused and are pleased to advise that all pensioners should now have received their payments.

“We thank those affected for their patience and understanding.”

She added that there had been no error made, and that payments had gone through on the correct day.

An HSBC spokeswoman later confirmed that all affected customer accounts were credited shortly after noon.

The spokeswoman added: “We are aware of the delay in the processing of some of today’s pension payments, which was caused by issues outside of the bank’s control.”