First Hawaiian Bank-StrataWeb

SuzyQ

Does anyone here use First Hawaiian Bank? They recently did an online upgrade & advised customers to disconnect & reconnect after the upgrade. They had lots advice on connecting with Direct Connect but I previously used (& want to continue) Quicken Connect. When I go to settings, click on downloads & get to "select your bank" if I select First Hawaiian it only has Direct Connect or Web Connect available (Quicken Connect is greyed out) but there is a (possible) alternate selection of First Hawaiian Bank-StrataWeb that shows Quicken Connect available but I was reluctant to try that not understanding what it actually is and, so far, no one at First Hawaiian can tell me. It is like they have never heard of it!

Boatnmaniac

The FIDIR list for Quicken Windows shows that First Hawaiian supports only Direct Connect and Web Connect...not Express Web Connect (the Windows equivalent to Mac's Quicken Connect).  My guess is that you will not be able to set up a Quicken Connect connection with First Hawaiian and that is also supported by your observation that the Quicken Connect option is grayed out. 

What is your concern with Direct Connect?  It is a more secure, more reliable and much faster connection method than is Quicken Connect.  I and most, if not all, Super Users will usually select Direct Connect when we have that option.

Regarding First Hawaiian Bank-StrataWeb:  I do not see this Financial Institution in the Quicken Windows FIDIR list but that does not mean it is not an option for Quicken Mac.  Also, when I did an Internet search it did not come up.

You could try creating a new Quicken data file (maybe name it TEST) and adding that Financial Institution in there and see what happens.  No matter what the outcome it will not impact your main data file.  If it provides you with the desired result then you could try adding it to your main data file.  And if it does not provide you with the desired result you can simply delete the new data file.

[Deleted User]

Boatnmaniac said:
What is your concern with Direct Connect?  It is a more secure, more reliable and much faster connection method than is Quicken Connect.  I and most, if not all, Super Users would always select Direct Connect when we have that option.

Even though Direct Connect is a more stable and preferred connection, a lot of banks charge the customer a monthly fee to use it.  I have seen that they are usually around $3.00 (without Bill Pay) per month.  I think this would dissuade a lot of Quicken users from using Direct Connect. 

SuzyQ

As Damien said, most banks charge for Direct Connect. First Hawaiian charges $9.95/month for a personal account & $14.95/month for a business account. I maintain both a business Quicken file (for my husband's business) & a personal Quicken file & each uses a different First Hawaiian account. I can't afford that kind of money and I was managing just fine with no problems using Quicken connect previously. Even tho I have used Quicken (in all it's iterations - always for Mac) for probably 25 years or more I have never used all it's functionality & don't always understand some of the things it does. I usually just "wing" it & it has worked for me for what I need. I am not even sure I could remember/figure out how to create a new file to use as a test!

Boatnmaniac

Yes, some banks do charge for DC.  Some people find DC fees to be acceptable while others do not.  I can certainly understand that as being the reason why you do not want DC, especially when the fee is that high.  I myself refuse to pay for DC under any circumstances.  Since you had not earlier mentioned a concern about a fee it made me think that perhaps you had some other reason for not wanting DC so that is what I was inquiring about.  So, thanks for clarifying this.

I did a little searching on the First Hawaiian website.  It appears that Express Web Connect (EWC)...and I'm assuming that means Quicken Connect, as well...used to be available, was taken offline for the system upgrade and was supposed to be back up and running about a week ago.  I am not sure why it is not yet available.  It might be that they have run into some technical issues causing a delay or it might be simply that someone somewhere has forgotten to turn it back on.  I think you will need to contact First Hawaiian to get a status update on this.  If they say it is already turned on in their system then Quicken Support should be asked to make inquiry with Intuit (the aggregator) about why it is not yet added to the FIDIR List.

SuzyQ

Yes, I believe Express Web Connect is the same as Quicken Connect & have told them that on the phone but several reps still have had no idea about why it isn't an option or what this FHB-StrataWeb is all about. They keep either transferring me to someone else (who says they need to make inquiries & will get back or the transfer leaves me on a terminal hold with the option to request a call back which never happens). I don't even live in Hawaii anymore but kept the accounts since I do all my banking online anyway but I may have to re-think that! Originally Quicken support referred me back to FHB but maybe it is time to try them again.

Boatnmaniac

Yes, it sound like it probably is a good idea to contact Quicken Support and inform them that First Hawaiian is saying Quicken Connect should be working but it is not included in the FIDIR list...and why not?

If you do want to switch to another bank here are some with DC that you might want to consider.  They all offer free DC for personal accounts and no cost DC Bank Bill Pay.:

• PNC Bank
• Midland States Bank
  
• Wells Fargo
  
• Chase Bank

SuzyQ

Thanks. I already also have USAA which has (& I use) DC but they only offer personal accounts. Not sure if anyone offers it free for business but maybe the others will be better with QC for business.

Boatnmaniac

I have an Irrevocable Trust (my deceased mother's) account...which is a business account...at Midland States Bank with free DC and Bank Bill Pay.  I have their Pro Essential business checking account and I have never been charged a monthly account fee or DC fee.  They are a regional bank in Illinois but they work well if you're outside of the state.  I live in Texas and have had no problems setting up the account and working with them for, I think, about 4 years now.  Here's their website link:  https://www.midlandsb.com/.

I also have personal accounts with PNC Bank with no monthly or DC fees.  Their business account fee for DC is only $2.00/month which seems to be very reasonable for a business account.  Their basic business checking account has a $10 monthly fee that is waived if you maintain a minimum balance of $500.  PNC is a large bank system (7th largest in the country).  Their website link:  https://www.pnc.com/.