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Topic: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

Apologies for the cross post, but I wanted this to show up as an error on the institution page. I am currently getting a 403 error when attempting to download transactions. Here is my GnuCash log:

AqBanking v6.2.2.0stable
Sending jobs to the bank(s)
Sorting commands by account
Sorting commands by account
Sorting commands by provider
Send commands to providers
Send commands to provider "aqofxconnect"
Locking customer "1"
Sending request...
Connecting to server...
Resolving hostname "ofx.schwab.com" ...
IP address is "XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX"
Connecting to "ofx.schwab.com"
Connected to "ofx.schwab.com"
Using GnuTLS default ciphers.
TLS: SSL-Ciphers negotiated: TLS1.3:ECDHE-RSA-AES-256-GCM:AEAD
Connected.
Sending message...
Message sent.
Waiting for response...
Receiving response...
HTTP-Status: 403 (Forbidden)
Unlocking customer "1"

My setup worked back in late February, 2020.

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Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

For completeness, I removed all of my Schwab-related users and accounts and recreated them per these instructions (Charles Schwab Bank, N.A., is the second set under that heading). I still observed the same result (with or without brokerId="SCHWAB.COM").

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

I am having the same issue. I verified that a curl request that previously worked does not work now.
Sounds like we need to call them up and try to understand what they changed.

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

I spoke to Schwab. The usual questions about Quicken and have I tried this/that etc.
Eventually I found out that they recently made some changes (around mid-October) and are asking third-party software providers to register and sign agreements. I told them I'm writing my own software and want to do the same.
They directed me to register here: https://developer.schwab.com/home

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

As others have mentioned, Schwab seems to have changed something in mid-October of 2020.  As you can see, OFX validation on that link has failed every day since October 21st.

It's possible they changed something simple (like a different FI ID) something medium (like upgrading to OFX 2.3), or they may have gone a different way entirely and no longer use OFX.  It's hard to guess from the outside.

Has anyone gone thru Schwab's developer process that "dbuser" mentions above?  I started to, but eventually it asks for "company" information, including your DUNS number.  Getting a DUNS number costs a couple hundred dollars, so I'm not likely to pursue this myself, even if I had a company I could use for this.

That fact that Schwab's docs talk about having one of their people review the application suggests that getting this approved for home use is going to present some challenges.

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

I checked with them about a month ago, and approval was still pending. I made it very clear in my request that this is for home use, but I did not provide a DUNS number. There is not much transparency into the process. The person I spoke to on the phone was from a different department than the dev portal. I think we have a reasonable case that 1) it is our data and they took away access we previously had 2) we are "developers" from their point of view, and are willing to accept and assume the associated risks. The more of us try to go through the process, the harder they have to think before issuing a blanket refusal. I could easily see myself moving to Fidelity over this.

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

> I checked with them about a month ago

You might want to stay on top of them.  If they think you aren't really interested, it can be easier for them to write you off.  Perhaps I should call the same person?

If it helps, you could describe yourself as an administrator for a group of developers.  That would allow you to grant access to the materials for other "ofxhome" developers (like me).  Might save them some aggravation.

My expectation however is that they're not going to let us in.  I'm with you that it's my data that they're making harder to access.  But from their MBA's point of view, they're "monetizing information" and won't see any benefit (for them) to open source or home user development.

As for Fidelity, have you been thru their developer process?  It doesn't strike me as being any more welcoming.

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

With Fidelity one doesn't need to do anything to get OFX access. It already works.

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

Have you considered reaching out to the institution directly to inquire about the recent changes and seek clarification on the process for individual developers to regain access to OFX services?

smile

Re: Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.

I have been in the phone several times with them about this. They ignored me.