Written by Maryam Ajorloo, CPA · Reviewed by Behdad Karimi Dermeni, CPA
You connected your business bank account to your accounting software, and it worked. For about three months. Then a "please reconnect" banner showed up, the transactions stopped, and your credit union has apparently never heard of the app at all. If that sounds familiar, you are probably searching for Plaid alternatives.
This guide explains why Plaid bank connections break with certain US banks and credit unions, lists the ones that most often have trouble, and walks through the alternatives that get your transactions into your books without switching off the security your bank put there on purpose.
Tired of reconnecting your bank every few weeks? Start your 30-day free trial and bring your transactions in the way that works for your bank.
The rule of thumb: if an outside company has to stay connected to your bank around the clock, something will eventually interrupt it. The most reliable fix is not a different outside company. It is you signing in yourself, when you choose.
What Plaid actually does
Plaid is a bank data aggregator. When an app asks you to "connect your bank," Plaid usually sits in the middle: you approve access, Plaid collects your transactions, and it passes them along to the app. That steady stream of transactions is what accounting software calls a bank feed.
For most accounts, it works well. Plaid connects to more than 10,000 banks and financial institutions, and most of those connections sync without any drama. What this means for you: if your bank connects reliably, keep using it. This guide is for the accounts that don't.
How Plaid connects depends on your bank. The largest US banks send you to their own website to approve the connection (a secure, bank-approved link, so Plaid never sees your password). Many smaller banks and credit unions still ask for your online banking username and password inside Plaid's window, and Plaid signs in for you.
Either way, the connection breaks in four predictable ways:
The approval expires. Bank-approved connections don't last forever, so every few months you are asked to sign in and approve them again.
The business login doesn't fit. Business accounts with several users, or a login that isn't the primary account owner's, often don't show up at all.
The security code gets in the way. When Plaid signs in with your password overnight, your bank may send a code to your phone that nobody is awake to enter.
The account isn't supported. Some cards and smaller institutions simply aren't available, and support can change when a bank updates its systems.
There is also a money side to this now. JPMorgan Chase began charging aggregators for access to customer data in 2025, and Plaid agreed to a paid deal with the bank later that year. (It turns out "free bank data" was a limited-time offer.) What this means for you: the terms between banks and aggregators are still being worked out, and connections can change when they are.
US banks and credit unions that often have trouble with Plaid
These are the banks, cards, and account types where Plaid connections most often break, based on what users report across budgeting and accounting apps. Bank websites and aggregator connections change constantly, so treat this as "worth knowing before you sign up," not a permanent verdict. And in fairness to the banks, most of these problems are their security doing exactly its job.
Chase and Wells Fargo: connections run through each bank's own approval page, which is good for security, but that approval expires and asks you to sign in and re-approve every so often. Miss the prompt, and the feed quietly stops.
Bank of America: business accounts often don't appear unless you sign in with the primary account owner's login, and personal and business accounts can need separate connections.
Navy Federal Credit Union: connection errors come up often, a 2023 online banking upgrade required members to reconnect their apps, and business accounts have had known bank-feed issues in popular accounting software.
USAA: recurring connection errors are reported across budgeting and accounting apps, and the fix is often removing the account and adding it again.
Apple Card: Plaid doesn't support it, so most apps can't pull a live feed. You can export your transactions from the Wallet app once each monthly statement closes.
Fidelity and Vanguard: Fidelity disconnected from Plaid in 2023 before access partly returned, and Vanguard restricted third-party access in 2025, with users reporting connections blocked during market hours.
Credit unions: coverage is the patchiest of all. Smaller credit unions may not be listed, and when a credit union moves to a new online banking platform, existing connections usually break and have to be set up again.
If your bank is on this list, you are not doing anything wrong. You just need a different route into your books.
Should you turn off two-step verification to connect your bank?
No, and we don't recommend it. Two-step verification (2FA) is the code your bank sends to your phone when you sign in, and it is one of the best protections you have against someone using a stolen password. Some app help pages suggest switching it off so a stubborn connection can sync overnight. That trades a real layer of security for convenience, and it often doesn't even stick: turn the code back on, and the transactions stop coming in.
Plenty of business owners assume a broken feed leaves them two choices: weaker security or typing everything in by hand. There is a third option, and every alternative below keeps 2FA on.
Plaid competitors: MX, Yodlee, Finicity, and Akoya
If you have searched "Plaid vs Yodlee" or "MX vs Plaid," here is the short version:
MX: powers bank connections and money management tools for many banks and credit unions, so it sometimes reaches institutions Plaid struggles with.
Yodlee: one of the oldest aggregators, long used by banks, wealth platforms, and budgeting apps, with deep coverage of investment accounts.
Finicity: owned by Mastercard, widely used for lending and account verification.
Akoya: a data-sharing network owned by large financial institutions, built around bank-approved connections rather than passwords.
They are all worth knowing, but they are choices your software makes, not something you can usually pick yourself. They also live under the same rules: bank approvals that expire, business logins that don't fit, and accounts that aren't supported. So swapping one aggregator for another often runs into the same wall. If you are running a business rather than building an app, the more useful question is whether anyone needs to stay connected on your behalf at all.
6 Plaid alternatives for US small businesses
Ordered from most automatic to most manual.
1. Bank Transaction Import (you sign in, 2FA stays on)
This is the alternative we built for exactly this problem. Bank Transaction Import is a free, open-source AI skill that runs in Claude or ChatGPT. Instead of an outside company staying connected to your bank, your AI assistant opens your bank's real website on your own computer, you sign in the way you always do (phone code included), and it downloads your transaction history.
Then it compares what it found with what is already in your ReInvestWealth books, shows you only the missing transactions, and adds them once you say yes. It never sees your password, can't move money, checks the account, amount, and date so nothing gets recorded twice, and signs you out of your bank when it's done.
Best for: Navy Federal, USAA, credit unions, business accounts with tricky logins, or any bank whose website shows your transactions.
Trade-off: you sign in each time it runs (a password manager makes that close to one click). Some large US banks have started limiting AI assistants on their websites; if yours does, download the transactions yourself and share the file, and the skill does the rest.
See how Bank Transaction Import works, or read the skill's rules for yourself on GitHub.
2. Upload your bank statements
Every bank produces monthly statements, and statements don't care about expired approvals. In ReInvestWealth, bank statement uploads are the built-in backup for any bank feed, and they are how you bring in history older than what a feed gives you on day one.
Best for: backfilling past months, Apple Card, or accounts you only use occasionally.
Trade-off: it's monthly, not daily, so your books are only as fresh as your latest statement.
3. Download a CSV from online banking
Most US banks let you export recent transactions as a CSV or spreadsheet file (often alongside QFX or QBO formats). If your AI assistant can't use your computer, download the file yourself, share it with Bank Transaction Import, and it does the matching and adding for you.
Best for: a quick catch-up on the last few weeks.
Trade-off: download windows are often limited to recent months, and file formats vary from bank to bank.
4. Ask your software about another aggregator
Some accounting and budgeting apps offer a second connection option, usually MX, Yodlee, or Finicity, for banks Plaid can't reach. It is worth checking your app's bank list for a different connection method before giving up on an automatic feed.
Best for: a bank that works with one aggregator but not another.
Trade-off: it's your software's call, not yours, and the same expiring-approval rules apply.
5. Enter transactions by hand
Technically an option. It's free, works with every bank ever invented, and costs you your Sunday nights. For a handful of transactions on a rarely used account, it's fine. For your main operating account, it's how small typos become year-end surprises.
6. Wait for open banking rules
The long-term fix is the CFPB's Personal Financial Data Rights rule (often called the 1033 rule), which would require banks to share your data with apps you authorize through secure, standardized connections. It was finalized in 2024, but a federal court paused its compliance dates in October 2025 while the CFPB reconsiders it, including whether banks can charge for data access. It's coming, eventually, but "eventually" is not a bookkeeping strategy for this quarter.
Whichever mix you choose, the destination is the same: one set of books with every account in it. That's where ReInvestWealth's AI Bookkeeper takes over, categorizing every transaction that comes in so there is almost nothing left for you to do. 3,000+ entrepreneurs already run their books this way. See how it works and start your free trial.
How to fix a bank that won't connect, step by step
Re-approve the connection first. If the account used to sync and just stopped, the bank's approval has probably expired. Reconnect it once, signing in on your bank's own page.
Use the right login. For a business account, sign in as the primary account owner, and connect personal and business accounts separately if your bank uses different logins.
Leave two-step verification on. If the connection only works with 2FA switched off, take that as your sign to use a different method for that account.
Backfill the gap with statements. Upload statements for any months the feed missed (or never had), so your books are complete before you go further.
Set up an import that works with your bank. Use Bank Transaction Import for the accounts a feed can't reach, and have it run every week if you like. Keep Plaid for the accounts that sync reliably, and let the skill fill in only what the feed missed.
Why completeness matters: the IRS generally expects you to keep records for 3 years, and longer in some cases (6 years if income was underreported by more than 25%, 7 years for a bad debt or worthless securities claim). A bank feed with a 90-day memory doesn't get you there on its own. (For the full picture, see our guide on how far back the IRS can audit businesses.)
If your bank feed trouble is in QuickBooks, Xero, or Wave, Bank Transaction Import won't help there, since it adds transactions to ReInvestWealth. You can move your books over, history included.
Practical tips for getting every bank account into your books
Check your bank before you commit. If your main operating account is with a credit union, Navy Federal, USAA, or another bank on the list above, plan your import method during your trial, not at year-end.
Keep business banking in one place. Fewer accounts means fewer connections to babysit and a cleaner line between business and personal spending. Our roundup of the best bank accounts for small businesses can help.
Let automation do the catching up. Connect what connects, run Bank Transaction Import weekly for what doesn't, and let the AI Bookkeeper categorize everything that lands. Already months behind? Start with catch-up bookkeeping.
Frequently asked questions
Is Plaid safe to use?
Plaid is a large, established company used by thousands of financial apps, and it encrypts your data. For bank feeds, the connection is read-only: your app can see your transactions, not move your money. At most large US banks you approve the connection on your bank's own website, so Plaid never sees your password. You can review and remove the apps you have connected through Plaid's consumer portal at my.plaid.com.
Why does my bank keep asking me to reconnect Plaid?
Most large US banks connect through a bank-approved link that expires after a set period, and some ask you to re-approve it every few months. Password changes, new security settings, and bank system upgrades can also end a connection early. Reconnecting usually fixes it; if it keeps happening, use another method for that account.
Does Plaid work with credit unions?
Many credit unions connect through Plaid, but coverage is less consistent than at large banks. Smaller credit unions may not be listed, connections can fail when the credit union asks for a security code, and they often break when it moves to a new online banking platform. Statements or a direct import are the reliable backup.
Will the CFPB's open banking rule fix bank connection problems?
It should fix many of them. The 1033 rule would require banks to share your data with apps you authorize through secure, standardized connections. A federal court paused its compliance dates in October 2025 while the CFPB reconsiders the rule, so the timing is uncertain. Until then, signing in yourself is the most reliable way to keep 2FA on.
Your bank's security isn't the problem, and you shouldn't have to switch it off to do your bookkeeping. Connect the accounts that connect, import the rest with 2FA on, and let the AI categorize every transaction. CPA-level clean books, 30-day free trial. Start for free
A note from our CPAs: This guide is educational and covers how bank connections generally work for US small businesses. Bank and aggregator support changes often, so check your own bank's current security guidance before changing any settings. (If you work with an accountant, they'll be glad to hear every account made it into the books.)
Written by Maryam Ajorloo, CPA
Maryam Ajorloo is the co-founder of ReInvestWealth and a CPA who specializes in small business tax and everyday bookkeeping. She helps entrepreneurs keep clean, audit-ready books and make sense of write-offs, filing deadlines, and the numbers behind their business. Read more · Connect on LinkedIn
Reviewed by Behdad Karimi Dermeni, CPA
Co-founder of ReInvestWealth and a founding community builder at Stripe. Behdad built ReInvestWealth to give smart, busy entrepreneurs CPA-level accounting without the CPA-level price tag. Read more · Connect on LinkedIn
