Fidelity customers panicked after a technical glitch caused their 401(k) accounts to show a $0 balance

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A sign marks a Fidelity Investments office in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. September 21, 2016. To match Special Report USA-FIDELITY/FAMILY

• Fidelity customers were in a panic after a glitch caused their 401(k) accounts to show a balance of $0.
• "I saw my @Fidelity account and almost had a heart attack," one person wrote on Twitter. "The balance was $0."
• Fidelity told MarketWatch, which first reported the glitch, that some customers were experiencing technical issues but that the issue was resolved.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Fidelity customers checking their 401(k) accounts got an unwelcome surprise on Wednesday when they logged in and saw a $0 balance.

"I saw my @Fidelity account and almost had a heart attack," one person wrote on Twitter. "The balance was $0."

Fidelity did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told MarketWatch, which first reported the story, that some customers were experiencing technical problems but that the issue was resolved. It advised customers to "try logging back in" to fix the problem, according to the report.

Some users were also unable to see their entire accounts. One user wrote on Twitter, "@Fidelity decided my accounts don't exist this morning," along with a screenshot of a blank screen under his "All Accounts" page.

For customers who have spent decades putting money into the accounts - many reaching into the millions - the glitch was sure to cause a panic.

"Could you imagine if you went to bed last night with $1,000,000+ in your Fidelity accounts and woke up this morning to a total account balance of $0.00," one person said on Twitter. "So scary! I have brokerage accounts at 20 different firms for this reason."

I saw my @Fidelity account and almost had a heart attack. The balance was $0. I just learned there website is down.

- Guy Spann (@GuySpann) February 19, 2020

@Fidelity decided my accounts don't exist this morning, anyone else?? pic.twitter.com/n81eXGvOXc

- Not Bill Gross (@debtinstruments) February 19, 2020