How to fix "QuickBooks is unable to verify the financial institution"

Modified on Tue, Jun 29, 2021 at 4:11 PM

When you import a .QBO file into QuickBooks, you may receive the following message “QuickBooks is unable to verify the financial institution information for this download”.

What does the error message means and how to fix the issue

Why would QuickBooks give such a message? Possible reasons are below:

if your QuickBooks copy is three years old (for example, for current 2019, QuickBooks 2016 or earlier (or QuickBooks enterprise 16 or earlier), it will not import .QBO files. You must either update to the newer version or use the Transactions app, Bank2IIF, or CSV2IIF converters depending on the file you have and import as IIF file instead of QBO.
Your bank or credit card company is no longer “allowed” by QuickBooks. Use the Transactions app, Bank2QBO to make your QBO file from the “allowed” financial institution.
Your .QBO file was not created correctly or “not ready” for your QuickBooks version. Banks and credit card companies create .QBO files differently. QBO files are extended OFX files (QBO is also called QuickBooks OFX), but there some small but important differences between QBO and OFX files. QBO file may follow OFX specification, but is not acceptable for QuickBooks. In addition, different QuickBooks versions have slightly different requirements for “good” QBO files. Use the Transactions app, Bank2QBO to make your QBO file ready for your QuickBooks version.
Your .QBO file is from US bank, and you are trying to import it on QuickBooks Canadian edition. Or your .QBO file is from a Canadian bank and you are trying to import into QuickBooks US edition. Use the Transactions app, Bank2QBO to make your .QBO file importable into QuickBooks.
Your .QBO file was created from CSV or Excel file by third-party software. Use the Transactions app, CSV2QBO to recreate QBO (Web Connect) file importable by QuickBooks.