MANILA - Security Bank on Wednesday apologized for "a delay" in posting transactions in its system the day prior just as the Senate initiated an inquiry into recent issues in the banking sector.

In a statement posted on the company's official Facebook page, Security Bank said it "encountered a delay in posting banking transactions on our systems," but assured that it was performing maintenance activities to fix this and that its systems will be "fully updated" within the day.

"The delay in posting banking transactions does not and will not impact the financial integrity of our customers’ accounts. While some services were affected, the delay did not prevent our customers from accessing their funds," it said in the statement.

"Security Bank wishes to apologize for the inconvenience this delay may have caused our valued customers," it added.

It said all bank branches and customer service representatives would accommodate any and all transactions as necessary.

Security Bank, the country's sixth largest lender, is the third bank to encounter problems in its system this month.

BDO Unibank on Friday called on depositors to report cases of ATM "skimming," just a week after an "internal error" paralyzed electronic services of rival Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).

At the Senate hearing, lawmakers asked BPI and BDO what happened to their systems and measures taken to prevent the problems from recurring.