Bank Connection Troubleshooting

#Overview

Light connects to your bank through secure APIs to automatically sync transactions. When connections fail, Light shows warning icons and explains the issue. This article helps you diagnose and resolve common bank connection problems.

#General Bank Connection Status

#Checking Connection Status

1. Go to Bank Accounts in the main menu
2. Look for your account in the list
3. A green checkmark means the connection is working
4. A red warning icon means there's a problem
5. Click the account to see the detailed status message

#Common Status Messages

• Connected: Bank feed is syncing normally
• Disconnected: Connection was lost; requires reconnection
• Authentication Failed: Bank credentials are invalid or expired
• Rate Limited: Too many sync requests; will retry automatically
• Bank Maintenance: Bank's API is down for maintenance
• Invalid Credentials: Stored bank login is no longer valid

#Issue 1: Authentication Failed

#Symptoms

• Status shows "Authentication Failed" or "Invalid Credentials"
• Transactions stopped syncing
• Red error icon on bank account

#Solutions

1. Reconnect the Account:
   • Click the bank account with error
   • Click Reconnect or Reauthenticate
   • This opens a secure connection to your bank
2. Re-enter Bank Credentials:
   • Log in with your current bank username and password
   • If you've changed your password, use the new one
   • Complete any multi-factor authentication your bank requires
3. Check Bank Login:
   • Verify you can log into your bank's website directly
   • If you can't log in at the bank, reset your password there first
   • Then reconnect in Light
4. Update Contact Information:
   • Your bank may need current contact info
   • Update phone number or email at your bank
   • Retry the reconnection in Light

Tip: Your bank password is never stored in Light. Only the authentication token is saved, and it expires regularly requiring re-authentication.

#Issue 2: Connection Keeps Disconnecting

#Symptoms

• Bank account works for a few days then disconnects
• Regularly getting "reconnect required" messages
• Connection status keeps changing

#Solutions

1. Request Bank Account Upgrade:
   • Some banks require business accounts for API access
   • Contact your bank and request that your account be enabled for third-party access
   • Specific request: "Enable this account for third-party financial data aggregation"
2. Verify API Access Is Enabled:
   • Log into your bank's website
   • Go to Settings > Security or Connected Apps
   • Verify Light is listed and access is enabled
   • Some banks auto-disable access after inactivity
3. Reduce Sync Frequency (if available):
   • Frequent syncs may trigger security blocks
   • In Bank Account Settings, reduce sync frequency
   • Try daily or weekly syncs instead of hourly
4. Contact Bank Support:
   • Explain you're using Light (a financial management platform)
   • Ask if your account has any restrictions on third-party access
   • Request they whitelist Light's IP addresses or API integration
5. Try Manual Import:
   • If API connection keeps failing, use CSV import
   • Download transactions from your bank as CSV
   • Upload to Light manually or set up recurring import

#Issue 3: Transactions Not Syncing

#Symptoms

• Bank account is connected but no new transactions appear
• Transactions appear 1-2 weeks late
• Last sync time is old (more than 24 hours ago)

#Solutions

1. Wait for Next Sync:
   • Light syncs multiple times daily
   • New transactions usually appear within 4 hours
   • Allow up to 24 hours for some banks
   • Don't add transactions manually if waiting for sync
2. Force Manual Sync:
   • Click the account with sync issues
   • Click Sync Now or Refresh
   • Light immediately queries the bank for new transactions
   • Check back in a few minutes
3. Verify Bank Feed Is Enabled:
   • Log into your bank's website
   • Go to account settings
   • Verify third-party data sharing is enabled
   • Some banks require checking a consent box
4. Check Posting Dates:
   • Bank transactions post at different times
   • Pending transactions usually appear before they post
   • Posted transactions appear within 24 hours of posting
   • Future-dated transactions won't sync until date arrives
5. Check Your Account:
   • Verify you're connecting the right account
   • Check account number matches your bank statement
   • Ensure it's a transaction account (not savings-only)

#Issue 4: Wrong Transactions Appearing

#Symptoms

• Seeing transactions from a different account
• Seeing transactions from different time period
• Duplicate transactions appearing

#Solutions

1. Verify Account Connection:
   • Click the account showing wrong transactions
   • Note the account number and type shown
   • Compare to your actual bank account
   • Reconnect if you're connected to the wrong account
2. Clear Duplicates:
   • Duplicates sometimes occur during reconnection
   • Don't delete yet—identify which are duplicates
   • Usually earlier or later-dated version is the duplicate
   • Delete the obvious duplicate
   • Keep the more complete transaction record
3. Check Filters:
   • You may be filtering to wrong account
   • Go to Bank Accounts and click the right account
   • Verify you're looking at the account you want
4. Sync with Recent Statement:
   • Review your actual bank statement
   • Reconcile against what appears in Light
   • Identify missing or extra transactions
   • Contact Light support with discrepancies

#Issue 5: Bank Credentials Keep Asking for Re-entry

#Symptoms

• Constantly prompted to "reconnect" or re-enter credentials
• Connection works briefly then requires re-authentication
• Error about expired credentials appears frequently

#Solutions

1. Check Password Expiration:
   • Your bank may auto-expire passwords
   • Log into your bank directly
   • If prompted for password change, do it
   • Then reconnect in Light
2. Disable Auto-Logout:
   • Some banks auto-logout after inactivity
   • In your bank's settings, disable auto-logout if available
   • This allows Light to maintain connection longer
3. Check for Active Sessions:
   • You may have multiple active login sessions
   • Log out from all devices except the one using Light
   • Retry connection in Light
4. Use App-Specific Password (if available):
   • Some banks support app-specific passwords for third-party access
   • Create an app password for Light instead of using main password
   • Use this app password when reconnecting Light
   • This prevents your main password from being a friction point

#Issue 6: Bank Feed Doesn't Cover Entire Date Range

#Symptoms

• Transactions only showing for last 90 days
• History before 3 months ago isn't syncing
• "Transaction history limited" message appears

#Solutions

1. Understand Bank Limitations:
   • Most banks limit how far back they provide transaction data
   • Typically 90 days to 2 years back
   • This is a bank limitation, not Light's
2. Request Extended History:
   • Contact your bank
   • Ask if they can provide longer transaction history
   • Some business accounts provide longer history
3. Import Historical Data Manually:
   • Download historical transactions from bank as CSV
   • Go to Bank Accounts > Import CSV
   • Upload the file with older transactions
   • Light imports and reconciles them
4. Check Account Age:
   • If account is recently opened, less history may be available
   • New accounts typically don't have historical data available
   • As account ages, banks may provide more history

#Issue 7: Multi-Currency Issues

#Symptoms

• Wrong currency showing for transactions
• Currency conversion rate seems off
• Amounts don't match after currency conversion

#Solutions

1. Verify Account Currency:
   • Click the bank account
   • Check what currency is set for the account
   • If wrong, edit and set correct currency
   • Reconnect the account
2. Check Bank Configuration:
   • Your bank may provide transactions in one currency but your account is another
   • Review your bank account settings
   • Verify the currency matches what Light shows
3. Review Conversion Rates:
   • Light uses current market rates
   • Historical transactions use rates at transaction time
   • If rates seem off, check against currency rate provider
4. Manual Adjustment:
   • If conversion is systematically wrong, create adjusting entry
   • Post a journal entry for the currency adjustment
   • Reconcile against the adjusted amount

#Issue 8: Bank Maintenance or Outages

#Symptoms

• Sync fails with message about bank maintenance
• Error message indicates bank is unavailable
• Multiple reconnection attempts fail

#Solutions

1. Verify Bank Status:
   • Visit your bank's website
   • Look for service status or maintenance notifications
   • Check the bank's Twitter or status page
2. Wait for Maintenance Window:
   • Bank maintenance typically lasts a few hours
   • Light will automatically retry sync
   • No action needed on your part
3. Temporary Workaround:
   • If you need transactions urgently
   • Download CSV from bank and import manually
   • This gets transactions into Light immediately
4. Contact Bank If Prolonged:
   • If maintenance lasts more than 24 hours, contact bank
   • Ask for estimated time to restoration
   • Request expedited service if possible

#Issue 9: Rate Limiting or API Throttling

#Symptoms

• Status shows "Rate Limited" or "API Error"
• Error mentions "too many requests"
• Syncs keep failing with throttling message

#Solutions

1. Reduce Sync Frequency:
   • Some banks limit sync frequency
   • Click the bank account
   • Reduce sync frequency to daily or weekly
   • This prevents hitting rate limits
2. Wait for Automatic Retry:
   • Light automatically retries after rate limit
   • Usually retries within 1 hour
   • Don't manually retry repeatedly (makes it worse)
3. Contact Bank:
   • Some banks have tiered rate limits based on account type
   • Ask your bank if business account has higher limits
   • Upgrade account type if needed
4. Switch to Manual Import:
   • If API rate limits are blocking sync
   • Use CSV import instead
   • Schedule weekly CSV imports from your bank

#Issue 10: Still Having Trouble?

If these solutions don't fix your bank connection:

1. Gather Information:
   • Note the exact error message
   • Write down when the problem started
   • Screenshot the connection status page
2. Contact Your Bank:
   • Confirm they support third-party integration
   • Ask if there are any blocks or restrictions
   • Verify API access is enabled for your account
3. Contact Light Support:
   • See "Contacting Light Support" article
   • Provide bank name and error message
   • Include screenshots of the error

#Related Articles

• Common issues and solutions
• Integration sync issues
• Data import errors
• Contacting Light support