Link a bank

Connecting a bank is what makes deposits, withdrawals, and recurring investing possible. We use Plaid, the same connection layer most banking apps use.

Connecting a bank through Plaid, and the difference between spending and funding. 32 seconds, no sound.

Step by step

1. Open Banking

   Tap the person icon in the bottom menu, then Banking. You will see every bank already connected and its sync status.

2. Tap Connect a new bank

   Choose whether it is a checking or savings account, then continue to Plaid.

3. Find your institution

   Search for your bank in the Plaid list. Most US banks and credit unions are supported, including Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Capital One, PNC, USAA, Navy Federal, Chime, SoFi, and Citi.

4. Sign in to your bank

   You sign in on your bank's own screen inside Plaid, and approve which accounts to share. Your banking credentials go to your bank, not to alooola. We never see or store them.

5. Confirm the connection

   Once Plaid finishes, the bank appears in your Banking list marked Synced and is ready to use.

Choosing which bank funds which investment account

The steps above connect a bank to your profile, which makes it available to all of your alooola investment accounts, such as your Traditional IRA or your individual account. It is not yet attached to any of them.

Each investment account keeps its own list of banks, so you attach a bank to the specific account you want it to fund:

1. Open the investment account from your home screen, for example your Traditional IRA
2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner
3. Tap Banking, then Bank Accounts
4. Tap Add bank and pick from the banks you have already connected

Repeat this for each investment account you want that bank to fund. A single bank can fund more than one.

Sync status

Status	What it means	What to do
Synced	The connection is healthy	Nothing
Needs attention	Your bank ended the session, usually after a password change or a periodic re-consent	Tap the bank, then Tap to reconnect
Reconnect needed	Same as above, and transfers are paused until it is fixed	Reconnect before your next deposit

Banks require re-authentication every so often. It is routine, not a sign that anything is wrong.

Removing a bank

Open Banking, tap the bank, then Remove. This disconnects it from that investment account; the bank itself is unaffected, and it stays available in your profile unless you remove it there too.

note

There is a limit on how many banks can be connected to a single investment account. If you hit it, remove one before adding another, and the app tells you when you are at the limit.

Common problems

• Your bank is not in the list. Search by the exact name on your statement. Some institutions appear under a parent brand.
• Plaid keeps failing at sign-in. Confirm you can sign in on your bank's own website first. Multi-factor prompts sometimes need a second attempt.
• The bank connected but does not appear. Pull down to refresh the Banking screen; connections can take a moment to propagate.

Email support@alooola.com if a connection will not hold.