Data center cooling failure hits Central Illinois credit union customers
A data center cooling failure has disrupted online and mobile banking for customers at several Central Illinois credit unions for the past three days, part of a nationwide problem.
A severe outage affecting multiple credit unions across the United States has finally started to come back online, after a grueling several‑day disruption. The incident, which began on Tuesday, impacted the Illinois State Credit Union, Credit Union For All in Bloomington, the Streator Community Credit Union, and numerous other institutions that rely on Sharetec for core‑processing services. As of Saturday, several credit unions announced that their systems were gradually being restored, although not all services were yet available to customers.
Outage Details
The disruption stemmed from a “service disruption related to a data center cooling failure” at Sharetec, according to the Illinois State Credit Union. The credit unions emphasized that no data breach or unauthorized access to member information was detected. Illinois State Credit Union chief executive Thom Ewen told customers on Saturday that the system was back up, with both home and mobile banking functional. He added that some transactions from the past few days still were not appearing in online accounts and that staff would work intensively to process those items and display the most current balances.
Credit Union Response
Illinois State Credit Union informed members that they could request reimbursement consideration for fees incurred with outside companies because of the outage. Credit Union for All made a comparable commitment, offering to cover or reimburse any late fees or overdraft charges caused by the disruption, provided members completed a reimbursement request form. Both institutions noted that debit and credit cards continued to operate normally throughout the extended outage.
Restoration Efforts
Credit Union for All said its team was verifying transactions and ensuring account accuracy for all members, posting transactions in the order they were received. While core processing functions have been restored, online banking remains offline, and the credit union has not provided a timeline for its return. Sharetec indicated its plan was to bring core systems back online for all credit unions before addressing the online banking component.
Credit Union Context
Credit unions, while offering many of the same services as banks, are typically not‑for‑profit entities owned by their customers, referred to as “members.” This ownership structure distinguishes them from traditional, shareholder‑driven banks. The recent outage underscores the critical importance of reliable IT infrastructure and robust contingency planning for financial institutions that serve millions of members.
Future Plans
About 18 months ago, Illinois State Credit Union decided to transition away from Sharetec to a different core‑processing vendor, with the change slated to begin in January 2027. The move is intended to enhance member service and markedly lower the risk of similar disruptions in the future. Although the timeline does not alleviate the current outage, the credit union highlighted that the decision was made well before the incident to strengthen the stability of the systems members depend on.
Source: northernpublicradio.org · 2026-09-19