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Why does BofA credit card transaction download require a text/code prior to download?

Doug

I have a new BofA credit card. I finally (after three days) got the credit card to link through Quicken (Windows). Now, each time I do a "One Step Update", the new account requires that a text is sent to me with a six digit code. I then have to enter the code before Quicken will download new transactions. Other accounts (even other BoA credit card) do NOT require this. Talked NUMEROUS times to BofA and they blame it on Quicken. Is there any way to disable the requirement of the extra step of sending me a text and entering a code:

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Accepted answers

Quicken_Tyka

Hello Doug,

Thank you for the response and the additional details.

If the financial institution uses expiring (session) cookies or expiring security such as the case with Bank of America, you will have to repeat authorization steps each time the cookies/security expire.

There are no additional steps or settings in Quicken to change this as it is a requirement from the financial institution. I apologize for not having better news at this time.

-Quicken Tyka

All comments

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Doug

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Community to report this issue although, I apologize that you have not received a response.

I have few questions to help me further isolate the cause of the issue.

First, what is the connection type being used to connect this account. To confirm this information, choose the Tools menu in the upper left then select Account List. Click Edit next to your account, then choose the Online Services tab at the top.

Do you see this same issue when updating through the register?

Open the transaction register for the account that is not downloading.
Click the Gear Icon in the upper right of the register and select Update Now.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.
Repeat these steps for each account with this error.

Do you receive any error messages when attempting to update this way?

Thank you,

-Quicken Tyka

Doug

Hi Quicken Tyka. I appreciate your followup on my issue. I'm going to address your questions as best I can. Some of my answers will be "anecdotal" in that I get different responses when I try to download transactions ... depending on ... a few things, I THINK!
First, the connection type for BOTH of my BofA credit cards is the same ... Express Web Connect. Quicken indicates there is a better way, but when I've tried to see if Direct Connect is available, it doesn't allow me to make that change.
As for downloading using the register, here are some observations I've made:
1. When I try using One Step Update for the first download each day, I'm asked to receive a text and enter a code for the new BofA account, but NOT for the older BofA account. Once I get and enter the code, the One Step Update proceeds, but it does NOT download new transactions in the new BofA account.
2. If I use the register to "Update Now", I'm also asked for the code IF THERE ARE NEW TRANSACTIONS TO DOWNLOAD. (I look at the BofA online site to confirm this.) If there are NO NEW TRANSACTIONS, but only old and pending ones, I'm not asked for the code.
3. If there ARE new transactions to download, and I receive and enter the code, the new transactions do successfully download and I am able to clear them in my register.
I am not asked to provide the code in my older BofA credit card account, and it successfully downloads new transactions when I use One Step Update.
I hope this long explanation is not too confusing! I'm just trying to answer your questions using what I have seen so far.
Thanks again for your response. I'm hopeful that I can soon update the account for the new BofA credit card account WITHOUT having to get a text, get my reading glasses so I can see the number, type the number of the code into Quicken, click on "show" so I can double check that the code was entered correctly, and then ... finally ... see (sometimes!) new transactions!

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Doug

Thank you for the response and the additional details. I would first navigate the Bank of America website and sign in to your account. I would look for a privacy or security tab to ensure that 2-factor verification is disabled.

I would then deactivate and reactivate the account and see if this corrects the issue. To deactivate the account, please see the information available here. To reactivate the account, we are going to act as if we are adding a new account to be able to link all of the accounts at once.

To begin this process, please select the (+) sign in the top left-hand corner. Then search for your financial institution and sign in.

You will then LINK the accounts found to the accounts in Quicken, be sure not to ADD the accounts or you will end up with duplicate accounts.

Please let me know how it goes!

-Quicken Tyka

Doug

Thanks again Quicken Tyka. Here's my latest update

I have called BofA numerous times to ask how to disable two step verification. On their website for my account, everything I see is already "off". They tell me this can't be turned off. It's likely BS, because I have another identical BofA Visa card that does NOT require the code to be sent in a text.
On the Quicken front: I'm afraid to "disable" the account and start over on a weekend. I had a REALLY hard time ever getting the account to connect in the first place, and I'm hesitant to "undo" the connection.
When I do a "One Step Update", the account asks me where to send the code; I choose text to my phone; I receive and enter the code. The One Step Update proceeds, and at the end it shows that all my accounts successfully updated. The one BofA account in question shows success with "no new transactions".
Immediately after that, I use the account register, click on the gear, and click on "update now". Again, I'm asked for a code. After entering the code, the account updates, and ONLY THEN do new transactions actually show up. This morning there were ZERO new transactions on the One Step Update (although the account said it hooked up successfully). Immediately after, using the account register, one new transaction downloaded.
As before, any insight you may have will be appreciated, but it's starting to look like I'm just stuck with getting a text, entering a code, and then using the account register to actually download transactions. I'm still not sure whether this glitch is on the BofA side or the Quicken side ... but my gut feel is it's both, and the two sides are too busy pointing fingers the other way to make necessary changes.

Doug

Quicken_Tyka: Update again. I have called BofA numerous times without a resolution to my issues, so I'm mailing a letter to their Customer Service today.
Here's what's happening. (This happened this morning, but it's typical of every day.)
1. I have successfully connected my BofA card to Quicken using Express Web Connect. Quicken indicates there is a better connection, but each time I try, it fails.
2. When I do a "One Step Update", the card always asks me for a code ... which is sent to me as a text. I enter the code.
3. The One Step Update proceeds, and at the end of it Quicken indicates the card account was successfully updated with ZERO new transactions.
4. I then IMMEDIATELY go to the card account register and click on the "gear" icon and "update now". When I do this, I am NOT asked for another code, and the update proceeds. If there are new cleared transactions, they actually show up for me to match in Quicken.
5. Any "pending" transaction on the card makes the date I entered into Quicken change to some future date. I want to have the actual date of the transaction show in Quicken, so I have to then change all those dates back to what I entered originally.

I have done everything I know to do. There is no place on the BofA site that I can find to change any other security settings. I have now totally deleted the account and set it up again. Same results as before. I've talked to you, to Quicken, and to BofA on numerous times. I don't have these issues on ANY other account. I can successfully use One Step Update on six bank accounts, two brokerage accounts, and another credit card account. I'm now at a loss as to how to make Quicken and my new BofA Cash Rewards card play nice. Do you have ANY other suggestions, or am I stuck with making a decision to devise my own work-around?
Thanks for any help you can give.

Quicken_Tyka

Doug

Quicken Tyka,
I'm a bit at wit's end. I wrote a letter to BofA to try to resolve this issue. Today, they called me saying that the "fault" is not with BofA, but with Quicken. This was the ONE BofA Tech person who deals with all their issues concerning Quicken. He assures me that this is a "Quicken setting" problem, and that Quicken will have to explain to me how to change the "setting". I told him I'm weary of each side pointing the finger at the other. I've been using Quicken for at least 25 years, and I've had multiple credit cards over that period ... including a BofA Visa card IDENTICAL to my new card except it was in my wife's name and not mine. In all that time, I've NEVER had this issue previously.
To reiterate, here's the latest on what is happening. (This happens whether I use One Step Update or if I just go to the Visa register in Quicken and update from there.)
In a One Step Update, I will proceed as usual. The vast majority of accounts begin the update as usual, then when it gets to the BofA Visa, I get a box asking me how I'd like to receive the code that is required. There is only one choice (a text to my cell phone), so I obviously choose that one. At that point, I get a text on my phone from BofA which contains a 6 digit code. I enter the code in the space in Quicken, and proceed with the One Step Update. The update proceeds as normal from that point, and I actually do get the latest cleared transactions on my Visa card.
The end result is a successful update, but it's maddening that I have to find my phone or have it with me to update this card EVERY TIME!
So ... if you (or anyone!) can come up with some "Quicken setting" that I should tweak to preclude this issue, I would be very appreciative.
Thank you so much.

Mark1104

Doug - does this occur on ALL your BofA accounts or just one of them? I couldn't follow that.

I've used BofA for coming on 20 years and never had to enter a 6 digit code - I have multiple checking accounts and credit cards

Doug

Hi Mark,
Sorry for the confusion! While I have multiple bank accounts, investment accounts, and other credit card accounts, one ONE of them is with Bank of America. That's the Cash Rewards Visa that I'm having an issue updating. None of my other accounts are with BofA.
Hope that clears up that confusion!

cyberphile

Doug,

Despite what that BofA person told you, the control over requesting two factor authentication is a BofA setting. Log in to your BofA account, go to "Profile & Settings", "Security Center", turn off "Extra Security at sign in". It is possible that BofA no longer allows new accounts to turn this off though.

Doug

Hey Cyberphile,
I'm not getting on that merry-go-round again! I've already done that TWICE, and it does no good. I'm really fed up with all the finger-pointing on this and other issues. Quicken seems to care not at all about its customer base, and are VERY quick to say "it's not my job"! For example, since Quicken went subscription, the "Income and Expense" graph has been in some ugly brown and tan colors instead of the Quicken standards. This has been brought up NUMEROUS times, and there has been no resolution. It's a simple fix, but obviously Quicken couldn't care less.
I LOVE Quicken when it works correctly, and I'm thankful that Intuit did such a good job in developing it, cuz the new management doesn't seem to care much about it except for the potential revenue.

Chris_QPW

Doug said:

I LOVE Quicken when it works correctly, and I'm thankful that Intuit did such a good job in developing it, cuz the new management doesn't seem to care much about it except for the potential revenue.

You seem to have a very short memory, Intuit was the worst company I have ever dealt with as far as responding to customer complaints. And it was all falling apart when they sold it. Not to mention that Express Web Connect has always been terrible, and with the financial institutions pushing new security methods it has only got worse.

And as for this thread goes I don't have a BofA account, but a very knowledgeable BofA user has tested it is out and contacted BofA about it and BofA themselves has said that it their policy to send a text code for every login, and there isn't any Quicken Inc or Intuit can do about it.

And that something else you should realize. The backend process of accessing the financial institution's website has never moved from Intuit. Quicken Inc pays Intuit for that connection. Quicken Inc and their servers are only the "connection" to the Intuit servers, they don't make up what the financial institution/Intuit agreement on how Intuit is to log in for you or how to transfer the data. That is strictly an agreement between Intuit and the financial institution.

Current flow of Express Web Connect:
Quicken -> QCS (Quicken Connection Service) -> Intuit servers -> Financial institution's website

Doug

Thanks so much, Chris. I really appreciate your assistance. You obviously have a much better perspective of my personal experiences than I do!

Doug

After many weeks and much trying and finger pointing, I still am stuck with this issue. Each time I do a "one step update" (or any update of my BofA Visa credit card), I'm required to have a six-digit code sent to my phone, and then I must enter that code into Quicken before it will complete the update. Quicken says it's BoA. BofA says it's Quicken.
Bottom line: It's a pain in the #@S*!!
There is NO setting on my BofA account site that will correct this. I'm really tired of the lack of knowledge and/or confession!
If anyone has any method of bypassing this "extra security" step, please let me know.
Thanks!

Mark1104

@Doug - this is an FAQ on the BofA website (and then please read my comments further below)

"Please note: Quicken DirectConnect is no longer supported for new users. You can easily download information from Online Banking to Quicken using Web Connect.

Sign in to Online Banking and select your account
Navigate to the Activity tab halfway down the page
Select the Download link (please note: if you have a credit card account with no transactions, you won’t see a download link. You’ll first need to select a month with transactions from the Current transactions dropdown menu)
For the Transaction period, select from the dropdown menu the transactions you wish to download
For the File Type option, select WEB Connect for Quicken 2018 and above
Hit the Download transactions button to save the file to your computer
Open your Quicken software and look for the file in your computer, in order to upload the file"

Frankly, I suspect there is no way to avoid the 2 step authentication at BofA as a new user.

What the process above infers is that BofA wants a human involved in the download of transactions. They achieve that in the process laid out above by causing the user to login to On Line Banking, create the file and download it. Because of that login, they know with very high confidence that the owner of the credit card is the one logging in.

They control for the same thing if a Quicken user uses One Step Update by requiring the 2 step authentication; again, a human is involved in the process and BofA is comfortable it's really the account holder that is downloading the transactions. They are only sending the code to the phone number already on file at the BofA website. Changing it would require knowing the passcode to the website.

I worked at BofA for many years, and I can see how their thinking could create this control senario. There are many, many 'fraudsters' trying to steal money. The process laid out above and the requirement for 2 step authentication, especially for new customers, gives BofA comfort that there are humans, that can be verified as the owner of the account downloading transactions, and not robo-computers pinging 1000's of account trying to steal information.

does that make sense?

GeoffG

The 2FA from BoA is not unique to Quicken. I have a credit card account (not a rewards account) with BoA that updates for the most part without issue. I also use another popular web based personal financial aggregator that has prompted for BoA authentication on every update for the last few months.
Fortunately for me, this is not my primary card that I use. I've set it up for a recurring bill payment, so the activity is not significant. As this appears not getting resolved anytime soon, have you considered moving you purchase activity to another more service centric CC institution? While perhaps not ideal, it surely will reduce your stress level.

Mark1104

@GeoffG - fraud is REAL; it's not a matter of 'more service centric CC institution'. I suspect more of the financial insitutions will move to a 2 step authentication approach overtime or eliminate Direct Connect options.

Doug

I appreciate all the feedback. I'm not stressed about this ... just inconvenienced! So many Big Brothers seem to be much more concerned about my security than I am. Looks like this is the way things go with BoA. I guess it's better than the option to download a file and find it through Quicken.
I've liked Quicken all these 30 or so years because it simplifies the aggregation of my finances. It still does, but individual financial entities are continually making it harder for Quicken to meet that standard.

Mark1104

@Doug - totally agree; 30 years ago there was no internet to speak of, the issues of security were thought of very differently...fraudsters focused on real world check-kiting and copying credit card numbers from restaurant receipts - that world is gone and large banks take HUGE losses from frausters who find it easier to steal millions of credit cards numbers in one fell swoop from a retailer and attempt to defraud banks with their ill gotten gains. it's a different world than when Quicken was first conceived and the financial intitutions are acting according to today's world.

While the internet has made it easier for you and me to connect with our financial insitution, unfortunately, it's made it easier for the fraudsters as well.

Doug

OK. I think I've figured this thing out!
For multiple reasons, I've added a Visa card from USAA. They, too, required that a six digit code be texted to me and entered prior to completing a "One Step Update" in Quicken. As I looked harder, I saw that I was not connecting to my USAA account using Direct Connect, but it showed as "available". When I began to set it up for Direct Connect, I was required to obtain an "access ID" and a "pin" to enter into Quicken in order to set up Direct Connect. Once I did this, I was no longer required to receive and enter the texted code. I assume this is because of the extra layer of security built in with the new access ID and pin. I entered those two into my Quicken Password Vault, and have been able to get downloaded transactions from USAA without the text. I also assume that the same will be true once I get the ID and pin from BofA. I haven't obtained those yet from BofA.

Jorge2k7

I am new to Quicken, about 3 months, and I have experienced the exact same issue with BofA where I receive a text with a code that I need to supply to get in. Talked to BofA and Quicken, but no solution yet. My BofA account has a credit card and a checking account and the account requires to type in the code to get in. Plus, I have 2 BofA accounts making this "painful". Checked the BofA settings and 2-factor authentication is Off. So, if this last resort of using an ID and pin work, let us know. Thanks.

pparedes

Having same issue for BOA after I recently changed my user id on BOA website. Let us know if ID/Pin worked and also how you obtained these if it is successful. Thanks for raising and persisting, does not seem like a temporary issue (regardless on who is at fault)

Doug

pparedes: I have solved the problem for me! I am cancelling my Visa from BofA. I know. A bit of a copout. However, the cancellation is based more on a "political matter" than this specific issue. When a company involves itself with policies that are against my core values, I stop doing business with them if at all possible, and I let the CEO know why I'm doing that.
So ... I've moved on to a Visa card from USAA, and no code is required! For me, problem solved! Sorry not to be able to help more than myself.

pparedes

Thanks Doug for your comment, I noticed in a similar post https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7888441/bank-of-america-connectivity-issues this person had a similar issue.

The problem was resolved by creating a Copy of their Quicken File (File/Copy/Create a Copy) and then re-entering the online banking information for all their accounts. Having done this myself, I was able to resolve my constant 2FA verification for every download for Bank of America. Must be a random data corruption issue that should not happen in 2021, but alas small time commitment to get it resolved. Hope this helps others stuck with BOA...