Integrating bank accounts [closed]

Question

Is there any API to integrate bank accounts into a .NET application? I am looking to provide the user an ability to pull bank statements into my software.

Please suggest.

Answer 1

You'll need to ask the bank that, which bank are you with? Most major providers allow some kind of programmatic access to their systems.

Failing that (and security aside) you could generate a HTTP Request/Response to the banks website and replying on being provided the correct credentials should be able to retreive any information available online (such as past statements) - bonus if they provide them in PDF format.

Not sure which country you are in but Egg Plc use an Active X control to open and read the balance of customers other bank accounts for them - obviously with their permission. It works pretty well.

Answer 2

I am pretty sure that there are some heavy limitations for this. Every bank may have another API, every bank may/will have a pretty good security context. But lets assume you do have access to an API of one (many) banks. So you do provide another UI for e.g. bank account information.

If I would use your program I would be very, very careful! I don't see your code, I do not know what you do with my user/account information - so I would not give you any account information!

What if you misuse my information and try to withdraw money (yea yea I know, in most cases there will be a seperate security layer preventing this TANs, PINs aso). In any way - A software using/providing net-banking functionality - which is not provided BY a bank / or authorized/officially checked by a bank - looks very suspicious to me!

I am sorry, but I would recommend not implementing any netbanking functionality using others account information.

Answer 3

There is not much that can be suggested there in terms of "use this and that". The problem is that each and every bank has its own system to do things and its own interfaces (if they even provide any). Banks are most often huge constructs that build on traditional old systems and are slow to adapt thus it is quite possible that they don't provide any interface for external programs at all (in addition to being traditional it is also about security measures).

That prelude said this means that you would need to decie which banks your customers most likely use and then talk with these banks if they provide any interface for external programs/providers to get the infos you want to provide to your customers. But be prepared for that the bank says that they only provide this service to other banks or even an outright no.

It is slightly different if we talk about internet constructs that are similar to banks like paypal,.... I say similar as they also have accounts and those can be filled and used, ... . These constructs OFTEN have some form of interface that can be used to use them BUT as far as I am aware even these don't provide a direct way for you to tell your customer what the current account status of theirs is. For this they have to go and log into their account THERE.

Thus all in all you will have to talk to the individual providers/banks but aside from them giving you informations on how to call their website so that the initial info for one transaction is filled in it is HIGHLY unlikely you will get any interface there (and for normal banks.....most probably no interface at all).