Frequently Asked Questions
New Release—Online Banking and Bill Payer
Enrollment and Login Questions
General Questions
New Release—Online Banking and Bill Payer
e-Statements
Funds Transfer
Bill Payer & Presentment
Q: Now that you have changed the layout for online banking, I have to scroll down to see my most recent transactions. Why?
A: It is possible that during transition to the new online banking suite, that transaction history defaulted to "ascending" sort order. You can change the sort order default to "descending" (most recent transactions first) by clicking on "Date" or by selecting "Default history sort order" in User Options.
Q: Now that you have changed the layout for online banking, the information is too spread out across the screen. Why?
A: The new layout for online banking scales to the size of your browser window. You can resize the browser window to a more comfortable size.
Q: I used to see my available balance and information on interest paid year to date, etc. Can I still get this information through online banking?
A: Yes, this information is now found in a View Account link which is located next to your account number on the transaction history screen.
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e-Statements
Q: How do I select the accounts for which I want to receive e-Statements?
A: When you accept the e-Statement Agreement, all of the accounts that you have linked to online banking will be enrolled in e-Statements. You do not need to indicate a specific account.
Q: How far back can I see my statements online?
A: Twelve months of statements will be available.
Q: How do I retrieve my statement for combined accounts?
A: Select your primary account number to access your combined statement. You will receive a ‘Statement Unavailable’ message if you select a secondary account.
Q: If I am a joint account owner and enroll for e-Statements, will the other account signer/owner receive a paper statement?
A: No, once an account owner enrolls in e-Statements, all paper statements for that account will be suppressed. All account owners can enroll in e-Statements and receive account statements electronically.
Q: I enrolled in e-Statements and I received a printed statement today. I thought I would no longer get printed statements.
A: Customers who enroll within two business days of the end of the month, and whose statements cycle other than at month end may get one more print statement.
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Funds Transfer
Q: What is my funds transfer daily limit?
A: Your daily limit depends on the type of transfer and the available balance in your account. In general, customers have a $15,000 daily limit for funds sent from their HomeStreet accounts to non-HomeStreet accounts and a $2,000 daily limit for funds sent to their HomeStreet accounts from non-HomeStreet accounts. More information on daily limits can be found on the Learn More About Limits link within the Funds Transfer service.
Q: What is my monthly funds transfer limit?
A: You may transfer a total of $25,000 monthly.
Q: What is an outstanding limit?
A: The outstanding limit is the dollar amount of transfers in the process of settling or posting to the destination account. Customers have an outstanding limit of $15,000, which means they can have no more than $15,000 in transfers outstanding at any one time.
Q: I am unable to send a transfer, even though the dollar amount is within my daily limit. Why?
A: If you have outstanding transfers from previous days that have not been completed, you will not be able to initiate a transfer if the total dollar amount of the transfers, outstanding and new, exceeds $15,000.
Q: I scheduled a transfer for a future date and my daily limit has not been reduced by the amount of the transfer. Why?
A: The daily limit will be reduced by the transfer dollar amount on the day the transfer is sent, not the day that is set up.
Q: A transfer has posted to my account, but the status of the transfer on the Transfer Funds Overview screen indicates a "Pending" status. Why doesn’t it show "Completed"?
A: Institutions post transactions at different times during the day, so you may see the funds debiting and crediting your accounts before the Overview screen reflects a ‘Completed’ status. The transfer status on the Overview screen will change to ‘Completed’ by the end of the business day that the credit is posted to your account.
Q: I added an account at another institution and now I want to remove it. How do I do that?
A: If the account has been verified, simply click on the Remove link in the Approved Accounts section on the Transfer Funds Overview screen. If the account is still in the process of verification, the Remove link will be located in the Accounts Requiring Verification section on the Overview screen, once the verification deposits have been made to the account.
Q: What it the minimum amount I can transfer?
A: $10.00
Q: When will my transfer debit and credit my accounts?
A: Standard transfers generally debit the account one business day after the transfer is scheduled, and credit the destination account three business days after the transfer is scheduled. Premium transfers debit and credit the accounts the next business day. You can view a table of transfer settlement days by clicking on a link on the Transfer Funds page.
Q: When adding an account for transferring funds, I was presented with the real time verification screen, and after I entered my online banking ID and password, I received the deposit verification screen. Why?
A: If you or the financial institution has a Secure Login solution in place on the online banking web site, your account cannot be added via real time verification, and deposit verification will be performed instead.
Q: How many chances do I have to enter the amounts for deposit verification?
A: Two.
Q: How do I add or change my email address for receiving Funds Transfer notifications?
A: You may click on the Profile link at the bottom of the Overview screen to add or change your email address. Once you enter and validate your new email address, you can select an email address to be your default address.
Q: How do I know that the funds deposited to the account I’m adding to Funds Transfer are legitimate and not part of a scam to find an account to defraud?
A: Regulation E protects customers against fraudulent ACH transactions by giving them 60 days to dispute these claims. The ACH system can also be used by businesses to make small deposits [not withdrawals] to customer accounts. In this case, the Funds Transfer service will ask customers to check statements to confirm dates and amounts before adding accounts to a profile. This protects you against having unauthorized access.
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Bill Payer & Presentment
Q: How long does it take to set up a new payee in Bill Payer?
A: Once you have entered a new payee in the Bill Payer System, you can immediately schedule payments.
Q: After I make a bill payment, how long does it take for the money to be debited from my account?
A: The money will be debited from your account the next business days following the scheduled bill payment date.
Q: How long does it take for a payment to reach the payee?
A: The payee will receive the payment between 3 days (electronic) and 7-10 days (check) later, depending on the method of payment. Please schedule payments in advance of your due date.
Q: How do I add other accounts to Bill Payer?
A: Simply click on the Profile tab, select the account type from the drop down box and enter the account and bank information. Your account will be added to your Profile in approximately two business days.
Note: You can only add HomeStreet transaction accounts as funding accounts for Bill Payer.
Q: How do I designate which account I want to be my default funding account?
A: Select the account from the drop down box on the Profile tab and check the ‘Make this my default funding account’ box.
Q: I would like to receive an email alert when a bill is presented, but I don’t want the bill to be paid. How do I set that up?
A: In the Payments section, select the Automatic Payment button, enter a value in both balance fields [can be any value and must be the same value], and select the ‘Don’t pay this bill and send alert’ button.
Q: Can I delete a payee?
A: Yes, you can delete a payee at any time. If there are scheduled payments associated with a payee that you delete, those payments will be cancelled and you will receive an email advising you that the payments have been cancelled.
Q: Where can I see a history of my payments, and the type of payment that is made for each payee?
A: This information can be found in two places. There is a link on the bottom of the Overview page entitled View Payments – last 30 days. Or you can click on the Reports tab and select different reports to view, including current month, last 60, 90 or 120 days or by selected payees. Within these reports you can see the type of payment the payee received, electronic or check, along with reference numbers and the date the check cleared.
Q: How can I see my bill?
A: You can see your bill by either clicking on the View Bill link on the Reports page, or by clicking on the Bill link in the far right hand column on the Payees page.
Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about Online Banking or Bill Payer?
A: Please contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-719-8080. Online Banking Specialists are available to answer your questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. You may also contact customer service through email at onlinebanking@homestreet.com.
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Enrollment and Login
Online Banking
Bill Payer
Online Banking
Q: How do I sign up for Online Banking?
A: To sign up for Online Banking (after your HomeStreet Bank account has been opened) simply log onto www.homestreet.com and click on 'Online Banking' on the home page, then click on 'Enroll in Online Banking.'
Q: Are there any password rules I need to follow when I am applying for an online account?
A: The registration form requires you to set up a password. Your password must contain between 8 and 14 characters, at least two numbers, and cannot contain leading or trailing blanks. For security, it is strongly recommended that you use a combination of upper and lower case letters and characters ('!@#$%&*_+=()[]{}<>|\:;",./?), though these are not required. It is also strongly recommended that you change your password periodically to further ensure the security of your online account.
Q: How do I log in to Online Banking?
A: To log in to Online Banking, you may either click on 'Online Banking' on the home page or click on 'Personal Banking', then 'Online Banking', then 'Log In to Online Banking'. Either of these methods will bring you to the log-in screen where you will need to enter your log-in information.
Q: Is there a limit to how many times I can make a mistake on my password? Who do I contact if I cannot remember my password or if I make too many mistakes on my password?
A: For added security your online banking account will be locked out if the wrong password is entered 5 times. If you have forgotten your password or have become locked out, please contact HomeStreet Bank at 1-800-719-8080 so that we may verify your identity and assist you with getting your password reset.
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Bill Payer
Q: How do I sign up for Online Bill Payer?
A: Once you have logged in to Online Banking, you may register for Online Bill Payer by selecting the Bill Payer button in the top navigation section. Enrollment is real time. Go here for terms and conditions.
Q: How do I use Online Bill Payer?
A: Step-by-step instructions can be accessed by pressing the help button on any Bill Payer screen within Online Banking.
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General Questions
Check Images
Scheduled and Recurring Transfers
Notify
Security
Q: How frequently is my HomeStreet Bank information updated?
A: Transactions are displayed in online banking 'real time' which means that most transactions are reflected immediately in your account. This includes deposits, point-of-sale, ATM and telephone banking transactions. Checks and electronic debits and credits reflect in your account when they are processed each evening. Online Banking is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can be assured you have the most current account information available.
Q: Can I look at all of my transactions at any time?
A: Yes, with Online Banking you have access to your account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Q: How much account history can I access via Online Banking?
A: Checking account history is available for 6 months, savings account history is available for 1 year and time deposit history is available for 2 years.
Q: What Internet browsers are compatible with Online Banking?
A: HomeStreet Bank's Online Banking is certified compatible with Internet Explorer and Netscape.
Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about Online Banking?
A: Please contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-719-8080. Online Banking Specialists are available to answer your questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. You may also contact customer service through email at onlinebanking@homestreet.com
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Check Images
Q: What are check images?
A: Online check imaging displays the front and back of your checks. You will be able to print these images for your records, or you can save them to your computer.
Q: How do I save check images to my PC?
A: Use your mouse to hover over the image, right click, click the "save" icon and save it to your desired location. You can also save the image by copying and pasting into a Word document.
Q: Why can't I see an image of a check that is an electronic check? I have a hyperlink.
A: Electronic checks are created when a merchant to whom you wrote a check converts it to an electronic format for processing. Since the paper check is never presented to the bank, it is not available in online banking.
Q: Why I can't see an image of a check that overdrew my account?
A: Checks that have not cleared your account due to insufficient funds or stop payment, etc, will not display in online banking. These check images are available by contacting our Customer Service Center at 800-719-8080 or 206-389-6309 in the Seattle area or visiting your branch.
Q: Why is the check number on my statement different than the check number I see listed in online banking?
A: Sometimes, check numbers listed in online banking may not match the number on the image of the check. This may be an error or a damaged check but the correct image will display.
Q: How long will my check images be available?
A: Check images will be available in online banking for 180 days (6 months).
Q: What does "service unavailable" mean?
A: Occasionally a check image that should be available is not, and you will see this message. Or, you may see the front but not the back. Try again later or contact our Customer Service Center at 800-719-8080 or 206-389-6309 in the Seattle area and ask them to retrieve the image for you.
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Scheduled & Recurring Transfers
Q: What are Scheduled & Recurring Transfers?
A: This feature allows you to set up future-dated transfers between your HomeStreet accounts. You can designate dollar amount, the start date, and frequency of the transfers, including one time, or recurring weekly, monthly, or twice monthly. You will receive an e-mail advising you that the transfer has been completed.
Q: Why can’t I set up recurring transfers beginning with today’s date?
A: Scheduled transfers (one-time and recurring) must have a "future" start date. To perform a one time transfer today, go to 'Account Access'. At the bottom of the screen, below your list of accounts, select 'Quick Transfer'.
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Notify
Q: What is Notify?
A: The Notify function allows you to create e-mail notifications to alert you to account conditions such as when your account is above or below a certain dollar amount, when a specific check has cleared your account or the number of days to your CD maturity date.
Q: When I set up an e-mail notification, how will I know that it comes from HomeStreet?
A: The sender e-mail address will be onlinebanking@homestreet.com, and the subject line will specify the reason for the notification [e.g. Scheduled Transfer Completed, Balance Notification XXXXXX###, etc.]
Q: How much of my account information displays in my e-mail notifications?
A: The last 3 digits of your account number appear in the subject line. Your name will not appear in the e-mail, but your account balance will be included in Balance Alert notifications.
Q: How long will I be able to look up notification history?
A: The Notifications Summary screen displays notifications that are currently set up, and those that have been sent within the last 30 days.
Q: I set up an e-mail notification to report balance information. Why do I keep receiving it?
A: Balance notification will continue as long as the account balance meets the condition you set up. You must either delete the notification or change the account balance to prevent recurring notifications.
Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about Online Banking or Bill Payer?
A: Please contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-719-8080. Online Banking Specialists are available to answer your questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. You may also contact customer service through email at onlinebanking@homestreet.com
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Security
Q: I'm still hesitant about banking online. Can other people see my account information?
A: Your account information is just as secure as it is at your physical, brick-and-mortar bank. We've taken every step possible to be sure our system meets the latest security standards, including using the latest security encryption methods and software.
Q: What about filling applications out online? How secure is that?
A: Filling out applications online is as secure as the Online Banking system. Your entire session, from beginning to end, is encrypted. Our system requires 128-bit encryption, which is the highest encryption supported by the latest versions of Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Q: I keep hearing a lot about encryption. What exactly is it, and why does it make everything more secure?
A: Encryption is basically a way to rewrite something in a code that can then be decoded later with the right key. The encryption we use employs a mathematical process for the key that is made up of a certain number of bits (hence, 128-bit encryption). The higher the number of bits, the better the encryption. While using our Online Banking system, all communication from you to the system and from the system to you is encrypted using a maximum of 128 bits. In other words, when you send information, your browser encrypts it using a 128-bit key and then sends it to the system. The system then decodes the information you sent using the key (which is predetermined when your Online Banking session is started) and processes it.
Q: How do I determine if my Web browser has the required 128-bit encryption?
A: To determine if your browser has 128-bit encryption, click on 'Help' in the toolbar of your browser, then 'About browser name.' A pop-up box will provide details on the level of your browser. If your browser does not support 128-bit encryption, recommended browsers include: Netscape Navigator 4.75, Internet Explorer 5.0 or 6.0, or AOL 6 to 8, but other browsers that support 128-bit encryption may also work.
Q: What about information that is stored? Is it encrypted as well?
A: Information stored on our system is also encrypted using at least 128 bits.
Q: I'd like to know more about the security methods you have implemented. Where can I read more?
A: For a more detailed description of the security features in our Online Banking System, please see our Online Banking Security Statement
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