How do I set up an external account in Online and Mobile Banking?

Connecting External Accounts

Adding an external account allows you to link your savings and checking accounts at other financial institutions to your Citadel account. You can add as many external accounts as you need.

Once you set this up, you can transfer funds between those accounts and your Citadel accounts and use your external accounts to make payments on your Citadel loans.

Follow these steps or watch the video on How to Connect Your External Account to see how it’s done.

First, log into your account, then:

• On desktop, select Make a Transfer from the top menu. There are two ways to add an external account.

→ Select Add External Account to the right of New Transfer

Or

→ Select External Accounts from the menu on the left, then the Add Account tab on the right.

• On mobile, select Transfers from the bottom menu. Tap the three dots ⋮ (upper right), then select Add External Account

Next, select the financial institution you would like to add and follow the prompts. You can also add the account manually using the financial institution’s routing number and your external account number. Click Continue to verify the account.

Verifying External Accounts

You have two options for verifying external accounts you wish to connect to your Citadel account.

• Instant Verification: You authorize the connection between your accounts by providing your username and password for your external account.
• Micro-Deposits: You authorize the connection between your accounts by providing the exact amount of two small deposits (under $1) from Citadel into your external account.

Instant Verification happens in real time, while using Micro-Deposits may take two to three business days. Both options are safe and secure and enable you to transfer money between your Citadel and accounts. In most cases, there are no additional transfer fees to do this.

Instant Verification

Instant account verification is a safe, secure, and quick way to connect your external accounts to your Citadel account. It happens in real-time without requiring micro-deposits, routing numbers, or bank account numbers.

To use instant verification, you will need to authorize the connection by providing the username and password for the external account. Your login credentials are only used one time to verify your external account and are not retained by our system.

If you do not wish to use your login credentials to verify your account, you can enter your banking information manually and use micro-deposit verification.

Micro-Deposits

Micro-deposits (or trial deposits) are small sums of money transferred online from one financial account to another to verify if the account on the receiving end is the account the sender intended to reach.

If you are using micro or trial deposits to verify an external account:

1. Check your external account's recent transactions. You should see two small deposits (under $1) in the account within two to three business days. Note the exact amounts of both micro deposits.
2. Log into your Citadel account.
3. Select Make a Transfer (on desktop) or Menu > Transfers (bottom right on mobile).
4. Select External Accounts (may be marked with an exclamation icon).
5. Select the External Account marked Pending, then Verify Account.
6. Enter the amount of the micro deposits and verify.
7. Your external account should now be marked as active and you will be able to transfer between your external and Citadel accounts.

Note: Once the micro deposits are made, you have 14 days to complete the verification process. You will not be able to make transfers to/from your external account until the micro deposits have been verified.

How long does it take for an external account to be approved?

How long it takes for an external account to be verified and accessible varies by the way it is authenticated. If you use Instant Verification, authorization happens in real time and your external account should be available immediately. If you enter an account manually and use micro deposits to verify, the process can take two to three business days.

Delete External Accounts

First, log into your account.

• On desktop, select Make a Transfer from the top menu, then External Accounts from the menu on the left
• On mobile, select Transfers from the bottom menu. Tap the three dots ⋮ (upper right), then select Add External Account. From there, select the Manage tab (on the left).

Then select the external account you wish to remove and click Delete.