Help and F.A.Q.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Frequently Asked Credit Union Questions
• Frequently Asked E-BRANCH Questions
• Frequently Asked Bill Payment Questions
• Frequently Asked Security Questions

1. Frequently Asked Credit Union Questions

2. Q: Are my deposit accounts insured?
   A: Yes! Each individual member's account is insured to at least $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
3. Q: How do I set up direct deposit of my payroll check?
   A: When you establish a share draft (checking) account with your credit union, you will receive our routing and transit number and your account number. If your employer participates in a direct deposit program, simply provide this information to the human resources or payroll department at your company, and your direct deposit will usually begin within 30 days.
4. Q: How do I set up direct deposit of my Social Security check?
   A: When you establish a share draft (checking) account with us, you will receive our routing and transit number and your account number. Simply contact us, and have your Social Security number and account information available to set up your direct deposit right over the phone.
5. Q: Can I get information about my account by phone?
   A: Yes! Account information is available with our Member Service Representatives during business hours at any of our offices. You may also apply for our free telephone teller service named STAR that provides account access 24 hours a day via a toll-free number (1-800-342-8663). Simply contact us to apply for this free service.
6. Q: What products can I apply for online?
   A: With E-BRANCH, our free online account access service, you will have access to your account information to transact business 24 hours a day. You can apply for loan products, order checks, pay bills electronically with E-PAY, etc. Check out our Conveniences page to discover all our electronic services.
7. Q: Do you offer IRAs online?
   A: Yes we do offer IRAs online. To see what we currently offer, visit our Investments and Insurance link.
8. Q: Is interest paid on my checking account?
   A: Yes! Not only does our Share Draft (checking) account pay dividends (interest), it's totally free. To discover all the benefits of a credit union Share Draft account, click here.
9. Q: Can I open an account if I don't live in the United States?
   What if I live in the United States but am not a citizen yet?
   A: At this time, we only accept applications from persons residing within the United States with valid U.S. tax identification numbers (Social Security numbers). If you have questions, contact us. We'd like to hear from you.
10. Q: Can I do all of my banking with you?
    A: Yes! Thanks to the convenience of direct deposit and ATMs, everyday financial transactions online can be performed on your own time.
11. Q: Can I look at all of my transactions at any time?
    A: Yes! With E-BRANCH, our free online account access service, you have access to your account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! From the home page, click the E-BRANCH link (upper right hand corner) to apply.
12. Q: How frequently is my information updated?
    A: Your account information is updated every business day with new transactions that posted to your account the previous day.
13. Q: Are wire transfers possible to and from my checking account?
    A: Yes! Funds can be transferred to and from accounts by wire transfer or via ACH (Automated Clearing House) debits or credits. Contact us for details.
14. Q: How do I make a deposit to my account from a remote location?
    A: Typically by using direct deposit, ATMs or ACH (Automated Clearing House) transactions. We also accept non-recurring deposits via mail. Contact us for details on a method that's best for you.
15. Q: When do I have access to use E-BRANCH?
    A: With E-BRANCH, you have access to your account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Contact us for details or to apply.

    

    Frequently Asked E-BRANCH Questions

16. Q: What is E-BRANCH?
    A: E-BRANCH is your credit union's free Internet account access service that allows you to use a personal computer with an Internet connection to conduct your financial transactions online.
17. Q: What can I do with E-BRANCH?
    A: You can view account balances and transaction history, transfer money, and download transactions to a personal financial manager and much more.
18. Q: Is any of my personal information stored in the E-BRANCH product?
    A: Yes, E-BRANCH stores your User ID, password and user preferences. If you keep a stock portfolio, that information is also stored.
19. Q: How current is my financial information?
    A: All transactions performed within the E-BRANCH platform are real-time and accurate. Your account information is updated every business day with new transactions that were posted to your account the previous business day.
20. Q: What accounts will I be able to access through E-BRANCH?
    A: You can access your checking, savings, investment and loan accounts. E-BRANCH is intended to give you as much access, security, and versatility as possible.
21. Q: How much account information can I view at once?
    A: The system will automatically show the current month's transactions and information. However, by selecting User Preferences, you can choose to view the current month and the previous month. Or, you can choose to view your account from the current date to the same date of the previous month.
22. Q: Can I view my account details in more than one way?
    A: Yes, you can view your accounts by date, check number, payee, amount or balance in ascending or descending order.
23. Q: What formats can I download my transaction history in?
    A: E-BRANCH supports downloads to Quicken™, Microsoft Money™ or as a comma-delimited text file.
24. Q: Can I schedule future transfers?
    A: Yes.
25. Q: When can I use E-BRANCH?
    A: With E-BRANCH, you have access to your account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
26. Q: How many stocks can I track in my online portfolio?
    A: Your online portfolio will track up to 20 stocks.
27. Q: How long can I be inactive before being logged out of E-BRANCH?
    A: The inactivity time out default is set for 20 minutes. However, you can define the timeout period in the User Options area for 5, 10, 20, 45 or 60 minutes.
28. Q: What is required to use E-BRANCH?
    A: All you need to use E-BRANCH is a secure browser that supports 128 bit encryption, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer®, Netscape Navigator® or America Online®. You can use any computer that has Internet access.
29. Q: How do I access E-BRANCH?
    A: You must first complete the E-BRANCH registration form and submit it to us. Once your registration is received, we will process your request. You will need a password to access the service for the first time. You may contact us by telephone or wait for your password to be mailed to you. You must have an existing checking, savings or loan account.
30. Q: Can I create my own password that is easy for me to remember?
    A: Yes, after you use your assigned password to log-in for the first time, you can go to User Options and change your password.
31. Q: What happens if I forget or lose my password?
    A: Just call us and we will take you through the steps needed to get back into the system immediately!

    

    Frequently Asked Bill Payment Questions

32. Q: What is E-PAY?
    A: E-PAY is your credit union's free electronic bill payment service
33. Q: Is it possible to schedule recurring payments?
    A: Yes. You can schedule weekly, semi-monthly and monthly recurring payments. The final payment of a recurring payment scheme is designated by a 'Final Payment Date'.
34. Q: How do I register for E-PAY?
    A: E-PAY registration is easy! The first time you attempt to access the bill payment section of E-BRANCH, you will be prompted to begin online registration. You are first requested to read and accept the authorization disclosure. Failure to accept the disclosure terms prevents the registration process from proceeding. Once the disclosure is agreed to, you complete the online registration form. The registration form is then forwarded to us for review. We are responsible for checking the information on the form and for assigning you a payment plan. The registration information is then transmitted to M&I Data Services for their approval process. After the application is approved by M&I, they send an acceptance 'welcome letter' to you via regular mail. You should receive the welcome letter within 8-10 business days. The welcome letter contains a temporary Account ID. Approximately two business days later, a separate letter containing a Personal Security Code is delivered. The Account ID and Personal Security Code are only used to allow access to the bill payment feature the first time. After that, access to bill payment does not require a separate logon.
35. Q: When I add a new payee to my bill payment account, or change my account number, how quickly will the change take place?
    A: When you update the information for the bill payment account, the changes are implemented virtually instantaneously.
36. Q: Can I receive an annual summary of my bill payments sorted by category or payee?
    A: Yes.
37. Q: Can I use E-PAY with all my accounts?
    A: No, only checking accounts can be used for bill payment purposes.
38. Q: When can I start using E-PAY?
    A: You can begin bill payment once you have received both your Account ID and your Personal Security Code. These items are required for the initial bill payment logon screen.
39. Q: When is bill payment available?
    A: You can schedule payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
40. Q: Are my bill payment transactions reflected as E-BRANCH transactions?
    A: All bill payment transactions become part of the E-BRANCH transaction history and show up in personal financial management applications when the transaction history is downloaded.
41. Q: How do I add new payees?
    A: You can add payees by accessing the Add Payee screen. New payees will be added to the payee list immediately.
42. Q: Can E-PAY be used when I am out of the country?
    A: Bill payment provides you with peace of mind when you are traveling for an extended period of time. All you need is access to the Internet with a secure browser and you can pay your bills while out of the country. Payees must be located within the 50 United States and Territories.
43. Q: Who can be paid using the E-PAY system?
    A: Anyone in the 50 United States and territories who can accept a check can be paid using the bill payment system. You can pay practically anyone- charge accounts, utilities, auto loans, professionals, even a lawn service or a relative. However, tax payments (such as federal, state and local) and court directed payments (such as alimony and child support) cannot be processed through our online bill payment system.
44. Q: Can I pay my bills on the weekend?
    A: You can set up your payments during the weekend. However, the system will prohibit you from scheduling a single payment and the first of a recurring payment on the same weekend. This is because payments scheduled for the weekend are always processed on the Friday before. Therefore, when scheduling payments on a weekend, the first day for which you can schedule payments (single or recurring) is the first business day following the weekend. Generally, single or recurring payments that fall on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday are processed on the previous business day and are debited from your account within two business days. If a holiday falls on either a Friday or Monday, the debit will occur within three days.
45. Q: If I schedule multiple bill payments for a single day, how will my account be debited- as a lump sum or separately?
    A: Each bill payment is debited separately.
46. Q: What if I do not have sufficient funds on the day M&I Data Services, your credit union's bill payment provider, debits my account?
    A: Following is a summary of M&I Data Service's Insufficient Funds procedure: A block will automatically be placed on all accounts that have an ACH debit returned to bill payment services. No additional bill payments will be processed until the account is properly funded and the return(s) cleared. If a payment request is received while the account is blocked, a letter will be sent notifying you that the payment(s) will not be processed. A copy will also be sent to the Ascend Federal Credit Union. Upon the first return, M&I Data Services will automatically re-send all ACH returns under $100. Exception: debits for payments in which the credit portion was sent electronically will be resent regardless of the dollar amount without financial institution verification. M&I Data Services will contact the credit union to verify all returns exceeding $100. If funds are available, they will re-send the return(s). If funds are unavailable and if the payment was made by check, a stop payment will be placed.
47. Q: Are all debits and credits sent out at the same time?
    A: Yes, they are all sent out at the same time.
48. Q: How is my account debited?
    A: Your account is debited via ACH.
49. Q: What is ACH?
    A: Automated Clearing House is a funds transfer system which provides for the interbank clearing of electronic entries for participating financial institutions.
50. Q: If I make an error in selecting an electronic payee and it results in a late fee, am I responsible for the charges?
    A: If you select an electronic payee with an address that is different from that indicated on the payment coupon, then you are responsible for the late fee. You always have the option to manually enter a different address for a payee. If you select an electronic payee with the address that matches that indicated on the payment coupon, and M&I routes the payment incorrectly, then M&I data services will take responsibility for the late fee.
51. Q: How do I place a 'stop payment' on a bill payment?
    A: A payment may be edited or deleted anytime before the "process date." Payments that have been remitted electronically cannot be stopped.

    Frequently Asked Security Questions

52. There are several effective security techniques that we encourage you to implement when you use E-BRANCH:

    • Never reveal your password to anyone or leave your password anywhere that someone else can obtain and use it.
    • Change your password on a regular basis.
    • Use the Exit button to end each E-BRANCH session. Do not use the Back button to exit the site.
    • Change your session timeout in User Options to a time that meets your needs.
    • Balance your account on a regular basis. E-BRANCH makes it easy!