Troubleshooting Bank Connections

How to Use This Guide

Find the error message or symptom you are seeing in the list below and follow the steps for that case. If a fix does not resolve the issue, the last section explains when to contact support and when CSV import is the better fallback.

"Reconnect your institution"

Your bank requires you to re-authenticate. This usually happens when you change your online banking password, update your MFA settings, or after your bank rotates security tokens. The fix is quick:

1. Open the affected account
2. Select Reconnect
3. Sign in to your bank with your current credentials and complete any MFA prompts

For a full walkthrough, see reconnecting an expired bank connection.

"Login failed" or "Incorrect credentials"

NivoaFlow does not store your bank credentials — they are passed directly to your bank through Plaid. If you see a login failure:

1. Open your bank's own app or website and try signing in there with the same credentials
2. If your bank login fails too, reset your bank password with your bank first
3. Once you can sign in to your bank directly, return to NivoaFlow and tap Reconnect with the new password

If your bank login works fine but NivoaFlow still rejects it, double-check for autofill issues — extra spaces, the wrong account profile, or a saved password that no longer matches.

"Multi-factor authentication required"

Many Canadian banks send a one-time code by SMS, email, or push notification when a new device connects. When NivoaFlow needs to complete MFA:

1. The Plaid Link window will display your bank's own MFA prompt
2. Complete it inline — enter the SMS code, approve the push notification, or answer the security questions exactly as you would on your bank's site
3. Once your bank confirms, the connection finishes automatically

If you do not receive an SMS code, check that your bank has your current phone number on file. Some banks rate-limit code resends — wait a minute and try again rather than tapping resend repeatedly.

"Unsupported institution"

We connect to most major Canadian and US banks through Plaid, but a small number of smaller credit unions and niche institutions are not supported. If your bank is not listed:

1. Check the supported account types page for the latest list
2. As a fallback, use CSV import — every supported institution lets you download statements as CSV, and NivoaFlow can map them automatically. See importing transactions via CSV
3. Let us know — email support@nivoaflow.com with your bank's name. We can usually add high-demand institutions on request

Stale Balances or Missing Transactions

If your account is connected but the balance or transaction list looks out of date:

1. Open the account detail page and select Sync now to trigger a manual refresh
2. Give it a minute — most banks return data within seconds, but a few can take up to a few minutes
3. If the balance is still stale 24 hours later, the connection is likely silently expired. Tap Reconnect on the account

Some banks only update transactions once or twice a day. Pending charges — like a restaurant tip you authorised this morning — may not appear until they post.

"Rate limited" or "Try again later"

Plaid enforces per-user request limits to protect your bank's systems. If you hit a rate limit:

1. Wait one hour before trying again — the limit resets automatically
2. Avoid repeatedly tapping Sync now. A single manual sync per hour is plenty
3. Background syncs happen on a schedule, so you do not need to manually refresh in normal use

This limit is enforced on Plaid's side. There is no setting we can change to lift it for individual accounts.

When to Contact Support vs. Use CSV Import

Use CSV import when:

• Your institution is genuinely unsupported and you need data in NivoaFlow today
• You want to backfill historical transactions older than what your bank exposes through Plaid (typically 24 months)
• You need to bring in a one-off account, like an external mortgage statement

Contact support@nivoaflow.com when:

• You see the same error after trying the steps above
• Your bank is supported, your bank login works directly, but NivoaFlow still cannot connect
• You suspect a transaction is missing, duplicated, or has the wrong amount
• You are not sure which fix applies to you

When you email us, include the bank name, the exact error message, and roughly when the problem started. That lets us help you on the first reply rather than going back and forth.

For background on how the sync itself works, see how bank sync works.