What changed? problem after problem

in2ndo

So, the last update or two. there is always something with Quicken. transactions not downloading, certain banks not updating, having to reconnect accounts. etc, etc.
Did they change service providers or something ? Is becoming frustrating and time consuming.

jacobs

With the exception of the issues with Schwab, most of the problems we've been seeing are the result of financial institutions making changes to tighten security of their systems. Quicken, and their service provider Intuit, are almost always playing catch-up with changes made by financial institutions. In some cases, the bank gives Intuit enough of a heads up so there's no problem, but in most cases, banks deploy changes when they are ready, and Quicken is something of an afterthought. (And the Schwab case is also one where the financial institution instigate the changes, although in this case it required major infrastructure changes at Quicken and Intuit, and there were a combination of problems with the software updates as well as rules Schwab imposed to block access to many accounts which were available to Quicken previously.)

Think about it: the underlying systems Quicken uses have not suddenly become less stable on their own. The instability comes from changes made by the financial institutions and the scramble for Quicken/Intuit to catch up.

That doesn't make all the problems, if one of your financial institutions is involved, any less frustrating. I'm just saying that from a Big Picture view, these are cyclical changes driven by the financial industry. What would help is more robust, universally used protocols and standards, but the financial industry let that horse out of the barn a long time ago.