Fix a bank that needs reconnecting

If your AI reports a bank as needs_reauth, or Settings → Accounts labels it Needs reconnect, your bank stopped accepting the saved sign-in and Pennyweight can't sync it. The fix is to sign in at your bank again. Your accounts, transactions and history stay where they are. To check all your connections first, see check whether your bank connections are working.

What you'll see

• Your AI's connection check lists the bank with the status needs_reauth and a reconnect link to /app/connect-bank?mode=update&item_id=….
• In Settings → Accounts, the bank's card reads Needs reconnect and has a Reconnect button.
• In the account's details, the Connection status row reads Needs reconnecting. A Bank sign-in needs attention card offers a Reconnect bank button.

Why it happens

Your bank stopped accepting the saved sign-in. This usually follows a password change or a security update at the bank. It can also follow a reset of your bank's two-step verification, or an expired permission at the bank.

needs_reauth covers only this sign-in problem. A connection that was disconnected, removed or revoked shows error instead. It can't be repaired, so you connect the bank again as a new connection. Other bank problems also show error; connection health explains those.

How to fix it

1. Ask your AI to check your bank connections and give you the reconnect link for the bank that needs it.
2. Open the link in a browser. The page heading reads Reconnect your bank. You can also go to Settings → Accounts and select Reconnect on the bank's card.
3. If the web app asks for your passphrase, unlock. You return to the reconnect page afterward.
4. If you see Two-factor authentication required, select Set up two-factor and turn it on, then open the reconnect link again. See turn on two-factor authentication.
5. Select Reconnect with Plaid and sign in at your bank. On a phone, the page takes you straight to Plaid's own page instead, with no button to select.
6. The page syncs that bank, then takes you back to Settings → Accounts.

What you'll see from your AI

Your AI names the bank that needs attention and hands you its reconnect link. It can't finish the reconnect in the chat. You sign in at your bank in the browser. If you have no linked bank, it tells you there is nothing to reconnect.

If the page says "Connect your bank"

A reconnect link carries both mode=update and the bank's item_id. Without them, the page opens as Connect your bank and starts a new connection instead of repairing the old one. A general link to the bank page from your AI opens it this way.

On a computer, if you sign in to a bank that is still connected in the same ledger, the page stops with: "You already have this bank connected. Go to Settings → Accounts and use Reconnect on it to refresh the link — no need to add it again." Ask your AI to check your bank connections for the reconnect link, or use Reconnect in Settings → Accounts.

If the page says "This bank connection was removed"

The connection was disconnected, either in Pennyweight or at your bank, and can't be repaired. Your existing transactions are safe. Select Connect a bank to connect it again from scratch. See connect a US bank or card.

Good to know

• A reconnect doesn't add older history. The bank's menu says Re-authorize this connection · won't add older history. For ways to extend history, see disconnect a bank vs delete an account.
• The bank's menu shows Refresh connection when nothing is wrong. It runs the same re-authorization.
• On a phone, reconnecting goes through Plaid's own page, the same way a new connection does. Plaid sends you back to the reconnect page, which syncs the bank and takes you to Settings → Accounts. See connect a bank from your phone.
• needs_reauth clears at the next successful sync.
• If you can't connect a bank at all, see can't connect your bank.