A $30 million upgrade of the Bank of Bermuda's system went smoothly apart from a few "day one challenges", according to its Chief Executive Officer.

Philip Butterfield thanked customers for their patience amid computer glitches early in the day on Monday that caused queues in branches.

Bank of Bermuda ? a member of HSBC group ? put the change into effect in order to make its electronic system compatible with the global giant's branches in 64 international locations.

It meant customers were given new bank account numbers and debit cards, as well as new PIN numbers for telephone banking. ATM machines were shut on a staggered basis over the weekend.

Mr. Butterfield said that it became apparent there was a "network capacity issue", which meant computer systems in the branches were slow.

However, he said, this was resolved by mid-morning on Monday. In addition, he said, a huge volume of customers attempting to sign in to the Internet banking site affected the responsiveness of the system.

There were also some problems with the PIN numbers issued for telephone banking to enter the website rather than those linked to their debit cards, he admitted.

Although eight of the network's 39 ATM machines remained out of action by the close of business on Monday, Mr. Butterfield said all would be working by opening time Tuesday.

"I'm very pleased with the patience of our customers and I thank them for their support," he said.

"It's a huge transition we have undertaken, and extraordinary progress has been made."

Asked if the bank had received complaints about the change-over, he said: "I think people have been extraordinarily civil, and very Bermudian."

Diane Gordon, executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said she had not had any reports of problems.

"I think Bank of Bermuda has been extremely informative and tried to keep the community well versed on how the process is going to take place. I would certainly hear from our members if there were any major concerns.

"I did ask if there were any problems over the weekend, and I've not heard back from anyone that there were. I went into shops over the weekend and asked if they were having problems, and no-one did," she said.

Amy Shillingford, director of Bermuda Communications at the ACE group of companies, said she had not heard of any glitches either.

"It's not pay day yet but we are not expecting to have any challenges with the change-over. From what I understand, all payroll information is being automatically transferred and this should not have any effect," she said.

The Bank of Bermuda's customer helpline can be reached on 299-5959.

Were you affected by the changeover? Contact Elizabeth Roberts at on 278-0156.