Finicity and BMO Harris Bank Finalize Secure Data Access Agreement

Distributed by Business Wire
12th November 2020

Agreement Demonstrates BMO’s Focus on Customer-Centric Digital Advancement and Open Banking

CHICAGO & SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Finicity, a leading provider of open banking solutions, announced today with BMO Harris Bank that they have signed a data access agreement. The agreement signals a commitment to empower consumers with more control and secure sharing of their financial data.

The agreement enables BMO’s customers to have more secure and convenient access to their financial data, empowering them to manage their finances, access capital, and make financial progress. The data access agreement defines common rules for how Finicity and BMO will communicate and exchange financial data.

Finicity embraces five core consumer-permissioned data sharing principles: access, control, transparency, traceability and security. As consumer-permissioned data sharing continues to grow, these principles can empower consumers with control and awareness of which parties have access to their financial data, what aspects of financial data they want to share, and how to modify the access. Customers retain ownership of their data and have the ability to consent to which data will be shared.

BMO customers will also be able to take advantage of Finicity’s open banking platform to permission access to their financial data for their own benefit across a variety of apps and services. For example, Experian Boost™ enables customers to permission financial data that is added to their credit file, which engages consumers more directly within the credit scoring process.

“It’s important for our customers to be in control of their financial lives,” said Hugh McKee, head of BMO Partners. “This partnership with Finicity not only empowers our customers with more control over their financial data, it also creates an environment for them to meet their goals built on transparency and security.”

“Finicity continues to be at the forefront of partnerships with financial institutions to provide the most robust and secure data sharing environment through our open banking platform,” said Finicity CEO and Co-founder Steve Smith. “Working with forward-thinking organizations like BMO Harris will have a real impact on driving better financial outcomes for consumers, including financial literacy and financial inclusion.”

Finicity continues to take a market leadership role by signing this data access agreement with BMO Harris, marking its eighteenth agreement. Finicity’s signed direct access agreements represent more than 50% coverage access of all direct deposit accounts in the US through direct API connections.

Visit www.bmoharris.com to learn more about their innovative approach towards digital banking. To learn more about Finicity open banking platform and its commitment to fast, reliable and high-quality data, visit www.finicity.com.

About BMO Harris Bank

BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through more than 500 branches and fee-free access to over 40,000 ATMs across the United States. BMO Harris Bank’s commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the United States. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, visit the company fact sheet. Accounts are subject to approval. BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a highly diversified financial services provider with total assets of CDN$974 billion as of July 31, 2020.

About Finicity

Finicity’s mission is to help individuals, families, and organizations make smarter financial decisions through safe and secure access to fast, high-quality data. The company provides a proven and trusted open banking platform that puts consumers in control of their financial data, transforming the way we experience money for everything from budgeting and payments to investing and lending. Finicity partners with influential financial institutions and disruptive fintech providers alike to give consumers a leg up in a complicated financial world, helping to improve financial literacy, expanding financial inclusion, and ultimately leading to better financial outcomes. Finicity is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. To learn more or test drive its API, visit www.finicity.com.