What is "Express Web Connect+"

retird

What is this and what is the difference between it and the old "Express Web Connect"?

Sherlock

Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

Ps56k2

Capital One also uses it - created the "EWC+" connection quite awhile ago....

not sure how many others, as not really defined or listed in the Quicken FI configuration file

07492    07492    07492    Capital One Card Services    https://www.capitalone.com/    1-800-955-7070    https://verified.capitalone.com/sic-ui/#/signin    ACTIVE        
CREDIT&WEB-CONNECT        
BANKING,CREDIT,ACCOUNTINFO&EXP-WEB-CONNECT  

Chris_QPW

Ps56k2 said:

Capital One also uses it - created the "EWC+" connection quite awhile ago....

not sure how many others, as not really defined or listed in the Quicken FI configuration file

07492    07492    07492    Capital One Card Services    https://www.capitalone.com/    1-800-955-7070    https://verified.capitalone.com/sic-ui/#/signin    ACTIVE        
CREDIT&WEB-CONNECT        
BANKING,CREDIT,ACCOUNTINFO&EXP-WEB-CONNECT  

As far as I know Capital One and Charles Schwab are the only ones using it at this point.

I do wonder about the new flow which that is needed for investment accounts.

Whereas I could easily see the system to fetch the QFX file (which is just the response from a send transactions message in Direct Connect/OFX protocol) how that might be "saved" in all the layers between Quicken and the financial institution is "different", because in the past neither Intuit or the Quicken servers were in the middle of this.  Now they are.

Sherlock

Chris_QPW said:

Ps56k2 said:

Capital One also uses it - created the "EWC+" connection quite awhile ago....

not sure how many others, as not really defined or listed in the Quicken FI configuration file

07492    07492    07492    Capital One Card Services    https://www.capitalone.com/    1-800-955-7070    https://verified.capitalone.com/sic-ui/#/signin    ACTIVE        
CREDIT&WEB-CONNECT        
BANKING,CREDIT,ACCOUNTINFO&EXP-WEB-CONNECT  

As far as I know Capital One and Charles Schwab are the only ones using it at this point.

I do wonder about the new flow which that is needed for investment accounts.

Whereas I could easily see the system to fetch the QFX file (which is just the response from a send transactions message in Direct Connect/OFX protocol) how that might be "saved" in all the layers between Quicken and the financial institution is "different", because in the past neither Intuit or the Quicken servers were in the middle of this.  Now they are.

There are already a few (~63) financial institutions supporting the Express Web Connect connection method with access to investment accounts.

Chris_QPW

@Sherlock Hmm, I didn't know that.  Thanks.

Ps56k2

Sherlock said   There are already a few (~63) financial institutions supporting the Express Web Connect connection method with access to investment accounts.

Can you share a couple of examples.... must have run a search for "investment" & "EWC"

Chris_QPW

Ps56k2 said:

Sherlock said   There are already a few (~63) financial institutions supporting the Express Web Connect connection method with access to investment accounts.

Can you share a couple of examples.... must have run a search for "investment" & "EWC"

You can search the fidir.txt file for INVESTMENT&EXP-WEB-CONNECT.
Ally Invest Securities is one example.

Sherlock

Ps56k2 said:

Sherlock said   There are already a few (~63) financial institutions supporting the Express Web Connect connection method with access to investment accounts.

Can you share a couple of examples.... must have run a search for "investment" & "EWC"

Are you really incapable of searching the fidir.txt file yourself?

Ally Invest Securities

Alpine Trust & Investment Group

Ameriprise Brokerage 133 Web

Arvest Asset Management

Arvest Investments - Wealth

Atlantic Trust

Atlantic Trust External Custody

BancWest Investment Services

BancorpSouth AM&T

Bank of America-Wealth Management

Boston Private Bank - Investment

Central Bank & Trust Co

Central State Bank, IA - Trust

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Coconut Grove Trust & Wealth Mgmt

Commerce Trust Company - MO,KS,IL

Davenport & Company LLC

Edward Jones

Equitable Life Insurance Company

Fifth Third Investment and Trust

Finemark National Bank and Trust

First Century

First Clearing, LLC

First Merchants Bank

Firstrade Securities Inc.

Franklin Templeton Investments

Hilliard Lyons Trust Company, LLC

ICMA-RC IRA

Jefferson State Bank TX

Key Private Bank

LPL Financial

Landmark Bank Wealth MO OK TX

M&T Bank Corporation

MFS Investment Management

MidFirst Trust Company

Momentum Financial

Neuberger Berman BD LLC

Oakworth Capital Bank Inv

Old National Wealth Management

Orrstown Financial Advisors

PNC Private Bank Trust Web Connect

People's United Bank

Quad City Bank & Trust Co - Trust

Quicken E*TRADE

Retirement Access - Employee

Stifel Nicolaus

The Adirondack Trust Company-Inv

The Glenmede Trust Company

The Haverford Trust Company

The Whittier Trust Company

The Whittier Trust Company Nevada

Titan Investments

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

USAA FSB Trust Services

Union Bank and Trust Co.

Union Savings Bank - CT

Verisight, Inc.

Wealthfront Inc.

Wedbush Morgan Securities, Inc

Wells Fargo Advisors

Wells Fargo Trust-Investment Mgt

William Blair -My William Blair

Ps56k2

tnx - yeah... quite a few -

07496    07496    07496    Ally Invest Securities    https://www.ally.com/    1-877-247-2559   
https://secure.ally.com/    ACTIVE
INVESTMENT&WEB-CONNECT        
INVESTMENT&EXP-WEB-CONNECT   

Ps56k2

Sherlock said:  Are you really incapable of searching the fidir.txt file yourself? 

tnx for the nicely formatted names-only list of EWC+ entries -

AND - for getting me up off the couch (and phone) to run upstairs (and desktop) to look at the FIDIR file -

Sherlock

Ps56k2 said:

Sherlock said:  Are you really incapable of searching the fidir.txt file yourself? 

tnx for the nicely formatted names-only list of EWC+ entries -

AND - for getting me up off the couch (and phone) to run upstairs (and desktop) to look at the FIDIR file -

The list provided is of financial institutions that support investment accounts using the Express Web Connect connection method.  The fidir.txt does not distinguish between Express Web Connect and Express Web Connect+.

markus1957

Interesting that neither Schwab nor Capital One appear in your list?

Chris_QPW

markus1957 said:

Interesting that neither Schwab nor Capital One appear in your list?

Capital One doesn't have investment accounts.

Charles Schwab is there, but needs a slightly different search since it supports 401Ks too:

68824 68824 68824 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. https://www.schwab.com/ 866-855-9102 https://www.schwab.com/ ACTIVE BANKING,CREDIT,ACCOUNTINFO,INVESTMENT,401K&EXP-WEB-CONNECT NOT_QBP NA

Sherlock

Note:  There are only 4 ill-advised financial institutions that only provide support for investment accounts using the unreliable Express Web Connect connection method:

Arvest Investments - Wealth
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Momentum Financial
Titan Investments

retird

> @Sherlock said:
> Note:  There are only 4 ill-advised financial institutions that only provide support for investment accounts using the unreliable Express Web Connect connection method:
>
> Arvest Investments - Wealth
> Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
> Momentum Financial
> Titan Investments

hum, I thought I read in the Community that Charles Schwab &Co Inc. would go back to Direct Connect after the changeover is completed by Nov. 18. Is that not true??

Chris_QPW

retird said:

hum, I thought I read in the Community that Charles Schwab &Co Inc. would go back to Direct Connect after the changeover is completed by Nov. 18. Is that not true??

You heard wrong.  The whole point of the changeover is to stop using Direct Connect in favor of Express Web Connect +.

Sherlock

retird said:

> @Sherlock said:
> Note:  There are only 4 ill-advised financial institutions that only provide support for investment accounts using the unreliable Express Web Connect connection method:
>
> Arvest Investments - Wealth
> Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
> Momentum Financial
> Titan Investments

hum, I thought I read in the Community that Charles Schwab &Co Inc. would go back to Direct Connect after the changeover is completed by Nov. 18. Is that not true??

I have not read that. 

Ps56k2

partial text from the Schwab link  -
https://www.schwab.com/legal/public-security-tips-popup

Q: How will the Schwab API work?

A: Through Schwab's API connection, third party data aggregators who agree to data access terms with Schwab will continue to have client-authorized access to certain client data in a protected environment. In turn, clients will have greater control over and better transparency into what data they share and with whom they share their data.

Through its API development and the migration of third-party financial technology companies to its API network, Schwab provides a more secure, client-controlled authentication process.

Here's how the API will work to protect Charles Schwab clients:

• Protection—The API issues a "virtual" token to third parties for client data to ensure client account credentials are safe. Available multi-factor authentication provides an added layer of user identification.
• Data Privacy—Through the Schwab API, clients can choose to grant access to specific accounts and specific third parties to ensure the right data is selected. Consent to allow access to data through explicit disclosures is logged and archived.
• Transparency and Control—Clients are not required to share their log-in credentials outside of Schwab. They will have higher visibility and transparency into linked accounts, including which third parties are accessing their data and the type of data through the Schwab Security Center and can easily view and change access at any time.

Q: Has Schwab agreed to Data Access terms with any third parties?

A: In 2020, Schwab has communicated, via press release, the successful signing of Data Access Agreements (DAA) with 3 prominent financial technology companies: Envestnet Yodlee, Intuit, and eMoney Advisor. These three companies comprise approximately 70% of data aggregation services used by Schwab clients. Schwab has already provided testing-based access to its API to several data aggregators who have been actively engaged with us to enable adoption of our more secure access method.

We are also actively partnering with several additional leading financial technology companies who share the mutual goal of providing clients with access to their data in a more secure and transparent manner.

Chris_QPW

The “plus” on the term “Express Web Connect” is an interesting (one might say marketing) use.

Express Web Connect by definition is “Intuit having an agreement with the financial institution, on how to connect, and download transactions.”  It has been quite clear from almost the start of Express Web Connect that different financial institutions have different agreements with Intuit.  Sure there will be a lot of reusing/suggesting on Intuit’s part for how to do this, but the point is, that there was never “one standardised protocol”.  This by its nature is exactly why you have constant problems.

So what does the “Plus” bring to the table as been “new”.  Capital One’s agreement/work work with Intuit/Quicken Inc was for the purpose of setting up an API.  And of course it was hyped to be the “solution” and that there was a hope that all the financial institutions would adopt it.  And of course that all worked out as planned, whereas Capitol One was one of the most reported financial institutions with problems before “Plus” now they aren’t, right?

And all the financial institutions picked up and now use that API, right?  (I don’t know of any that do, and from what I can tell Charles Schwab’s API isn’t the same one).

In the rider.txt there isn’t even a setting for Express Web Connect +, both Capital One and Charles Schwab are both listed as Express Web Connect.

I’m sorry all of this sounds like marketing hype to me.

I would like to point out that what Charles Schwab is doing is the “right thing”.  The giving out of passwords to “apps” really should go away.  I would point out though this could have been wrapped around the connection for Direct Connect, so why didn’t they?

I think the main reason is so that Charles Schwab can have the same API for all their aggregators.
On the Quicken side, they like it better too because with Direct Connect it is Quicken talking directly to the financial institution, and would have to be changed of how Direct Connect connects.  Whereas they can pretty much do nothing and let Intuit do all the changes on their servers when using Express Web Connect.

retird

> @Chris_QPW said:
 I would point out though this could have been wrapped around the connection for Direct Connect, so why didn’t they?
>

> On the Quicken side, they like it better too because with Direct Connect it is Quicken talking directly to the financial institution, and would have to be changed of how Direct Connect connects.  Whereas they can pretty much do nothing and let Intuit do all the changes on their servers when using Express Web Connect.

Just to highlight what you said..... Agree 100%.....

retird

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Sherlock

retird said:

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Again, Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

This means instead of saving the name and password you use to sign-in to Schwab, Intuit receives a unique token from Schwab that only Intuit may provide to access your accounts at Schwab.

retird

Sherlock said:

retird said:

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Again, Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

So..... does Quicken have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now?  Quicken web site only shows 3, as I posted.... guess they need to update their web site ocassionally.... and solve some of the long term  issues of others... I'm all set except 1 issue that's ongoing since September of last year....

Sherlock

retird said:

Sherlock said:

retird said:

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Again, Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

So..... does Quicken have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now?  Quicken web site only shows 3, as I posted.... guess they need to update their web site ocassionally.... and solve some of the long term  issues of others... I'm all set except 1 issue that's ongoing since September of last year....

No.   Quicken does not have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now.

retird

Sherlock said:

retird said:

Sherlock said:

retird said:

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Again, Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

So..... does Quicken have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now?  Quicken web site only shows 3, as I posted.... guess they need to update their web site ocassionally.... and solve some of the long term  issues of others... I'm all set except 1 issue that's ongoing since September of last year....

No.   Quicken does not have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now.

OK... so the term EWC+ means it still goes thru Intuit just like EWC so Schwab downgraded from Direct Connect  to EWC+ which is not as stable....... shame.....

Sherlock

retird said:

Sherlock said:

retird said:

Sherlock said:

retird said:

OK after all this banter I still don't know What Express Web Connect+ is.  Quicken only identifies 3 connection types (from Quicken's web site):

There are three ways Quicken interacts with your bank:  

• Express Web Connect (Quicken Connect in Quicken for Mac)
• Direct Connect
• Web Connect

So, again, what is Express Web Connect+?  We have been connected to Schwab with EWC+ so we deserve an answer I think.

Again, Express Web Connect+ is just like Express Web Connect except, instead of maintaining the authentication credentials, Intuit maintains a certificate provided by the financial institution when you successfully authenticated.

So..... does Quicken have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now?  Quicken web site only shows 3, as I posted.... guess they need to update their web site ocassionally.... and solve some of the long term  issues of others... I'm all set except 1 issue that's ongoing since September of last year....

No.   Quicken does not have 4 ways to connect to financial Institutions now.

OK... so the term EWC+ means it still goes thru Intuit just like EWC so Schwab downgraded from Direct Connect  to EWC+ which is not as stable....... shame.....

Correct.  EWC+ is just a flavor of EWC.  Schwab decided to terminate their support for their Direct Connect server to save money.