OL-293-A error with PNC

@Boatnmaniac , when it rains it pours!

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Quicken and then an hour with PNC Tier 3. Quicken just blamed the error on PNC. So I called them. The PNC Tier 3 rep had me create a simple test file and try to connect via Direct Connect. We got the same error that I screen shot above when trying to "DC" reconnect my accounts. So much for it being my data file in Quicken…. since the test file failed too … it was something else.

At this point the rep had me delete the vault password thinking there might be a password PIN issue….. (She thought it was OK to delete the PIN because I told her I had the "original" PIN to enter manually)… OR SO I THOUGHT. I forgot that on first use, Quicken has you enter a new PIN. The "new" PIN evidently is NOT a replacement for the original PIN that PNC mails out. Once you delete the vault password…. you need the original MAILED out PNC PIN…. I assume Quicken just maps the "new" easily remembered PIN to the PNC "mailed out" PIN in the vault and hides it. That was probably 20 years ago at least… and I do not have it. The PNC mailing probably predated cell phone cameras, PDF's and online storage for me.

I tried loading a backup file from yesterday thinking that would have a complete vault with the correct mapping from "mailed PIN to changed PIN", but it evidently doesn't. Now, everytime I try to reconnect to DC it tells me my PIN is wrong….. because all I have is the new PIN "alias" that no longer works.

So, all my troubleshooting is on hold until I get the new PIN from PNC .. via snail mail. My bad.

@Boatnmaniac I know you have been preaching the need for the original PIN. You are correct! I honestly didn’t understand the difference between the original PNC PIN and the vault PIN used by Quicken for DC. The Quicken PIN is more or less an alias to the PNC Direct Connect PIN….. if you delete what Quicken is using to connect, you better have what PNC mailed you as the PIN. I did not about 20 plus years later.

I can say after spending two hours on the phone with PNC, my issue with OL-293 is not unique. They readily admit that there are some accounts that are having connection issues they don’t yet understand. Once again…. I should have just waited a few more days and not started disconnecting-reconnecting…. Which I did at least 10 times today. Each time I tried to reconnect I got the same error at the very end of the process. It’s the error I screen shot earlier….. having trouble connecting to PNC. PNC could see every attempt to reconnect…. but it looks to them like I am connected each time and all is good. When their test file threw the same “having trouble reaching PNC error” … they were perplexed and that’s when she told me that on Monday they started seeing calls about OL-293 errors from customers. I suspect the forum will start to reflect that too. I’ll update you after I get my new PIN and try to connect again. Thanks for all the help and support with this.

@swift this OL-293-A error started for me on Monday after 3 solid weeks of PNC having fixed Direct Connect. I spent 5 hours on the phone yesterday with both Quicken and Tier 3 PNC. I tried to disconnect-reconnect probably 10 times yesterday. Each time it would get mostly done and then Quicken would throw the error I posted above "we encountered an error while connecting to PNC - Direct Connect". Then the process never completes properly. One of the diag steps PNC had me perform was with a clean test file in Quicken (so they could try and blame Quicken I assume). When it threw the same error, they had me delete my password in the Quicken vault. Stupid me. I did that not realizing … now you can't just re-enter the Quicken PIN ….. you need the original PIN from PNC (yea, I got that like 20 years ago and no longer have record of it). So my testing is on hold awaiting a new PIN from PNC that MUST be USPS mailed.

We are not alone! PNC did explain to me that on Monday they started getting OL-293 error phone calls for Direct Connect. The support person told me they are aware they have a problem and not sure why everyone isn't affected. So, is the PNC migration completely fixed? At this point I'd say no! I suspect we will see more people reporting the same error here.

I would just wait….. it might take PNC some time to figure this all out. The more folks that call PNC and ask for Tier 3 support, the better.

I agree with you that this is a new problem for PNC Direct Connect. Not everyone is affected….. so far.

This PNC/Quicken direct connect issue is a disgrace. There are very few updates. More and more users not only report problems but report various types of problems. I even changed to Web Express which worked once. I am setting up PNC's bill pay. But if even Web Express doesn't work I have no ongoing record of the status of my bills. DISGRACEFUL!

@charlieo.Hemlock -

I was still getting the OLA-293-A error this morning so decided to try deactivating/reactivating my accounts before calling PNC. But unfortunately, the reactivation would not fully complete — I encountered the exact same error for PNC Bank - Direct Connect that you posted above (Dec 3), stating "We encountered an error while connecting to your bank".

I then called PNC bank. The Tier 3 support rep wanted to try resetting DC (i.e., deactivating and reactivating it) on their end, which has apparently fixed the problem for at least some users experiencing this OLA-293 error. However, the reset will require I use the "original" mailed PIN to then reconnect the accounts, which like you, I do not have as it was sent to me about 20 years ago (by a bank later bought by PNC). So, I am being mailed a new PIN (which she called the "Master PIN"), after which I will call them back to get the PNC reset executed.

Afterward, I started wondering why I saw the same reactivation error you did, despite the fact I have never deleted the vault password (including by accident, which I think can occur if one does not follow deactivate/reactivate instructions to the letter). Did the third-party Quicken uses for DC perhaps "lose" the original PIN to which the vault PIN is "mapped", while preparing for their own update (which I saw elsewhere is being implemented today)? Or, might PNC have inadvertently reset my DC in the process of their continuing cleanup of the recent problem related to the web site redesign?

With this in mind, I have decided to try account reactivation in Quicken using the mailed PIN once received, in case that alone will resolve the issue; if not, then I will call support for the PNC reset. Either way, I will report back on anything that may be interesting or useful to you or anyone else monitoring this thread.

Folks have wondered how much I have done before entering my doom and gloom comments. I've done everything. From hours on the phone with both PNC and Quicken tech support, to deactivate/reactivate at least 15 times, to feeling content the Express Web Connect was working to getting errors the very next time I used it. I started using Quicken in 1997 and was a PNC customer way before that. Basically PNC views direct connect as a legacy product that only applies to a niche market. I suspect they are not giving the resources to it to solve the problem. I was in computing my entire career that spanned 40 years. I was a director of IT in pharma. I was a consultant for an international firm. I understand what it takes to cause a problem and to solve it.