From BTCGuild:
Record Highs and Their Impact on Payouts
As many are likely aware, Bitcoin exchange rates have been soaring to new record highs for the last month, and things are really heating up after a mostly positive public senate committee hearing in the US.
During large rallies, the pool sees a huge increase in withdrawal activity, and I'm sure all other pools are the same. As a result, payouts are sometimes taking longer due to a significant number of backlogged transactions across the whole network competing for space in the next block. BTC Guild pays fees on all payouts, which significantly improves the odds of our pool's payouts making it into the next block.
However, please note that withdrawal activity should not spike like this! Users are highly encouraged to set automatic payout thresholds so they are never relying on the pool as a bank. The pool has been forced to move many coins from cold storage into the hot wallet during the rally. This can delay payouts, especially if the hot wallet runs completely dry due to multiple large payouts in a short time frame.
Please take this opportunity to set your automatic payout if you have not done so already! It ensures your coins are readily available to transfer in response to market conditions because there is no reliance on a pool hot wallet.
November 18th, 2013
* macsga holds...
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