Byline Bank

mickey mouse bank… Inferior online banking will close my account

Terrible loss of service for converted North Community Bank business bank customers because their vendor won’t support QuickBooks Online connectivity (or Byline won’t pay for it) — Quickbooks (Online) is only one of the biggest small business tools in use today. After weeks of grueling attempts to get this to work after the conversion (and customer support telling me it would be fixed ‘any day now’), this is what they responded with and what is now posted on the business bank site:
«If you are a user of QuickBooks Online, please be aware that direct login from QuickBooks Online to download transactions is not supported within Business Online Banking. You may download a transaction file from the Transaction Download service found within the Reports Tab of Business Online Banking. Use the upload feature within QuickBooks Online to upload your transaction file. Please contact Cash Management at 866.518.9128 or
if you have any questions.»

I’ve had an account with Byline (formerly North Community) Bank at their main branch, 3639 N. Broadway, for over 12 years, including checking, savings, CD, and a short-​term personal loan a few years back. I am more than satisfied with their products and services — I have never had any problems or mistakes. Their online banking system (a new system since they changed ownership) is not the best I’ve encountered, but it does the job and it’s not difficult to navigate. There are dozens and dozens of branches and ATMs for Byline Bank all over the north side of town — I give them very high marks for convenience.
I have looked around a bit, and Byline is paying a tad more in interest than many competitors on checking and regular savings (which, thanks to the Federal Reserve, is somewhere in between puny and paltry — not the fault of individual banks). They have several good checking options, including totally free, as well as interest-​bearing without requiring a huge minimum balance.
I have read many online reviews of banks — not just this bank, but numerous other institutions — and I’m amazed at all the weeping and wailing some people post. If you manage your own affairs well, keep proper records, do careful arithmetic, use correct account numbers and deposit slips, pay bills on time, DON’T overdraw, and other common-​sense steps, you won’t be forever drowning in drama — which, 98% of the time, isn’t the bank’s fault. In other words, these folks are highly efficient, and you’ll do fine with them if you do your part.
One final item… the one and only issue I have tried a time or two to bring to this bank’s attention:
You simply MUST instruct all your tellers to say «Thank you» to the customer at the end of a transaction. (At best, only about half of them do.) I know this is something of a generational thing. But, figuratively speaking, knock it into the heads of the younger employees with a 2-​by-​4 if you have to.