No longer download check numbers and errors with same amount transactions

Rayj44

Is everyone having download errors since Oct 21 when the Quicken update dropped downloading check numbers? Without check numbers it mixes up transactions of the same amount, even on different dates. It treats them as duplicates. Also since October 21 it has been erroneously downloading pending transactions. I have to manually screen all transactions and correct errors to get a good reconcile. A real pain! I have reported this problem numerous times, but gotten no response from Quicken, and this latest update has not resolved the issue.

jacobs

@Rayj44 These issues are very likely not related to any Quicken software update, and will not be fixed by a Quicken update. What is downloaded depends on the back end servers and connection scripts which is done for Quicken by a third party (Intuit).

These are not global problems affecting everyone; these problems are specific to your financial institution. What bank are you using? 

The downloading of pending transactions is almost certainly the fault of the bank; Quicken just downloads what the bank is providing. USAA has been noted for this problem by a number of users. 

The missing check numbers is possibly a problem with the bank or possibly a problem with Intuit or Quicken. It's not normal, but it's not unusual, either. I've read several reports from users about missing check numbers, and I myself found my bank's check numbers aren't making it into Quicken. I verified that the check numbers are included in a QFX file if I download one, so in my case it appears to be a Quicken/Intuit problem. I went through it with Quicken Support, who agreed and had me submit a problem report. Unfortunately, nothing has been fixed, and it hasn't been important enough for me (I write very few checks) to try to go through it again with support. You can report the issue using the Report a Problem feature in Quicken; be sure to document the report with the name of the bank and screenshots of your register or the Transaction Inspector showing the missing check number. Or you can call Quicken Support and have them run through a bunch of tests and check log files, and then press them to escalate the issue and give you a ticket number so you can follow it up. (I failed to do the latter, which is why I'd have to start over again if I wanted to pursue the issue with my bank.)

Rayj44

Thank you jacobs for your response. You may be right. My checking account bank, SunTrust, just went through a lot of changes and renamed to Truist, so that might be the source of the problem. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just my personal check numbers (don't write many either), but all my monthly automatic payments no longer have a check (transaction) number either. I don't mind putting in the check number, but I have to figure out which payments have been dropped by Quicken as duplicates due to having the same amount of any other transactions. I have reported the issue to Quicken in a problem report with screen shots etc NUMEROUS times with no response. I'd call but wait time is always 45min +.

Regarding the download of pending transactions - this is DEFINITELY a Quicken problem. It started the same time as the check number problem (mid Oct) with a Quicken update, and occurs on ALL my accounts, checking, savings, credit cards, from all different banks. May be resolved now, I don't know since I had no pending transactions the last couple downloads. Thanks again.

jacobs

@Rayj44 Ah, yes, there have been a lot of problem reports about Truist on the forum since the change from SunTrust.

Downloading pending transactions is, to my knowledge, mostly the fault of the bank, not Quicken. Quicken simply logs in as if it's you, opens the spigot, and takes in whatever the bank provides; it then filters out transactions it has downloaded previously. The bank should not be downloading pending transactions to Quicken. That said, about 5 years ago, the OFX standard for transaction downloads from financial institutions added a mechanism for including pending transactions, which then have to be deleted once the transaction posts or vaporizes. Not all financial institutions have upgraded their systems to use this OFX standard, or have it programmed correctly such that pending transactions are properly labeled such that Quicken could identify and skip them. there may be some place in that process where either Intuit (who process the transactions) or Quicken should be filtering out any pending transactions and aren't. You can see this is what leads to banks pointing the finger at Quicken and Quicken pointing the finger at the bank; it's not as straightforward is it might seem.

There are many moving pieces in the Quicken ecosystem, so people often make an assumption that an update to the application caused a problem, when it is often a change at the financial institution around the same time that's the culprit. 

Rayj44

Thanks jacobs. I appreciate you help.