This message displays as a security alert to be sure members are aware when changes have taken place on accounts they may have once seen in CU Online but will no longer have access to. There could be a variety of reasons why you are seeing this message. Some of the reasons include:

• The account was closed by an account owner or FORUM.
• You were removed as a joint owner of the account.
• Your FORUM loan has been paid off.
• The account went into inactive status.
  • For savings accounts, inactivity is defined as no account activity for 36 months with an account balance of less than $200.
  • For checking accounts, inactivity is defined as no account activity for 12 months with an account balance of less than $200.

If you have questions about the Account Removal message please call us at 317-558-6299 or chat with us online.

Modern banking systems have become person-based to meet compliance requirements, but more importantly, to provide additional security. Person-based systems allow members to see all of the accounts in which they are an owner at the institution in a single location. In an account-based system, information is shared based on a base account, which is often linked to various sub-accounts beneath the base. This means that if a person has a joint base account, then both parties can see all of the sub-accounts underneath the base even if they are not an owner on these sub-accounts. Sub-accounts can include accounts like checking, special savings, money markets, certificates, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) and loans. This type of structure created concerns from both compliance and member perspectives.

In a person-based system, there are no sub-accounts. Instead, each account is independent. When you log in to internet banking or your mobile app to see your accounts, you are viewing all of the accounts in which you are an owner. One of the most member common concerns with the person-based system has involved loan viewing and making loan payments for members who are not on the loan but who are accustomed to seeing it and having the ability to make a payment on the loan because they were joint on the base account on the old system. With the new system, we do have a form that can be signed by the owner of the loan granting viewing and payment making access to the others not on the loan. This has been welcomed by many members as a viable option for this scenario.

Each person has a “member number” to identify you as a member. As a FORUM member, you will have various accounts (savings, checking, loans) that will be identified with account numbers. When accessing your account via mobile or CU Online, knowing your account number is not necessary. When conducting a transaction in a FORUM branch location, we are able to look up your member number and all account numbers using your name and other personal identification processes (verifying your driver’s license, for example). To see your new account numbers and member number, log into CU Online or access your accounts using the FORUM mobile app (iPhone, Android). All of your updated account numbers and member number will be presented to you. When in CU Online, go to the details screen to see your full, unmasked account and member numbers. If you use a non-FORUM shared branch location and do not have access to view your new account numbers in CU Online or our mobile app, please use FORUM's online chat, call our member services team or stop by any branch location, and a FORUM team member can provide assistance. 

No. Account suffixes are not used in FORUM's system. Each person will have a member number and then each account, such as checking, CommonCents, Sprout, etc., will have its own unique account number. 

Google Pay is a new name for Google’s family of consumer payments products. We’ve been working to make these experiences more consistent, no matter where you’re paying. See these answers about Android Pay being renamed Google Pay.

You can use Google Pay with your NFC-enabled device running Android OS 4.0 (KitKat) or higher.

Your FORUM Mastercard® Debit, Credit and Health Savings Account cards may all be used with Google Pay.

Add your FORUM cards to Google Pay using the below steps:

1. In the Google Pay app on your device, touch the “+” sign to add a card.
2. Manually enter the card number (flat FORUM cards may not be added using the phone's camera feature).
3. Accept the terms of service.
4. If requested, follow any additional steps to verify your card.

Within the Google Pay app, below are ways to set your default card:

1. From the home screen, touch your FORUM card and swipe up to move it to the default position.
2. From your FORUM card details, tap the instructions to set a default card.
3. From Google Settings, press your FORUM card to change it to your default.

You can use Google Pay with your NFC-enabled device running Android OS 4.4 (KitKat) or higher at over one million locations whose payment terminals are set up to accept Google Pay, as well as in participating Android apps.

Purchases can be made in two ways:

• Paying In-Store: At an NFC-enabled terminal, hold the phone to the terminal until a checkmark appears
• In-App: Select Google Pay and either use fingerprint, PIN code, password or pattern to authenticate the purchase

Google Pay can perform a limited number of transactions with poor service. If you’re without Internet and need to use Google Pay, the app will tap into a limited number of stored tokens on the device.

Google Pay is more secure than traditional payment methods because the full card account number is not stored or passed to merchants. A “token” is used in place of the full card account number. A token is a substitute account number that replaces your card number and is used to make secure purchases in stores and in-app. If a card becomes compromised, the full card will not need to be replaced. Instead, a new token will be issued to the member on the same credit card.

You can make a return the same way you would with your plastic card – by contacting the merchant directly. It is recommended that you bring the device used to purchase the item when returning it.

Apple Pay® is available on the newest Apple devices and also on iPhone®, iPhone Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Air® 2, iPad Mini™ 3 (devices running iOS 8.1 or later).

Your FORUM Mastercard® Debit, Credit and Health Savings Account cards can all be used with Apple Pay®.

To add a card, go into Settings, open Passbook & Apple Pay®, and select “Add Credit or Debit Card.” On the iPhone, you can also just open Passbook, then swipe down and tap the plus sign. From there, use your iSight camera to enter the card information or type it in manually. FORUM flat cards (with no raised numbers) will need to be added manually. This card will be your default payment card, but you can go to Passbook anytime to pay with a different card or select a new default in Settings.

Yes. Adding an existing iTunes credit or debit card to Apple Pay® is a simple process for cardholders.

1. Launch the Passbook app on an Apple Pay®-compatible device.
2. Swipe down to reveal the “+” sign – tap on the “+” sign.
3. Tap on Set Up Apple Pay®.
4. Log into iCloud account when prompted.
5. Tap on Use Card on File with iTunes.
6. Verify the card’s three-digit security code.
7. At this point, cardholders may need to wait for the financial institution to authorize the card.
8. Accept the terms and conditions to complete the process.

Yes. You can use your FORUM Mastercard® Credit, Debit or Health Savings Account cards on multiple Apple devices.

The first card you add to Wallet is your default card. To change your default card to your FORUM card, use the steps below.

On your iPhone:
1. Open Wallet.
2. Touch and hold your finger on your FORUM card.
3. Drag your FORUM card to the front of the cards in the Apple Pay® section.

On your iPad:
1. Go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay®.
2. Tap Default Card.
3. Choose your FORUM card.

If your iPhone or iPad is ever lost or stolen, you can use Find My iPhone to quickly put your device in Lost Mode to suspend Apple Pay®, or you can wipe your device clean completely.

If you replace or update your device, you will need to add your card(s) to Passbook again.

Apple Pay® is accepted in grocery stores, boutiques, restaurants, hotels and so many places you already enjoy. You can also use Apple Pay® in all kinds of apps – and on participating websites using Safari on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. To make in-store payments with your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, look for the contactless payment symbol at participating Apple Pay® merchants. You can also make in-app purchases with participating merchants using Apple Pay®. Visit the Apple Pay® website for a current list of the growing number of merchants accepting Apple Pay®.

Yes. Your most recent purchases are kept in Passbook. You can also see a full history of your credit and debit purchases in FORUM’s free online banking software, CU Online.

You can make a return the same way you would with your plastic card – by contacting the merchant directly. It is recommended that you bring the device used to purchase the item when returning it.

Apple Pay® is more secure than traditional payment methods because the full card account number is not stored or passed to merchants. A “token” is used in place of the full card account number. A token is a substitute account number that replaces your card number and is used to make secure purchases in stores and in-app. If a card becomes compromised, the full card will not need to be replaced. Instead, a new token will be issued to the member on the same credit card.

Visit the Apple website to learn more about Apple Pay®.

You can use Samsung Pay with most newer Samsung devices. Check compatibility for specific devices at samsung.com.

Your FORUM Mastercard® Debit, Credit and Health Savings Account cards may all be used with Samsung Pay.

Add your FORUM cards to Samsung Pay by manually inputting the card information within the app (FORUM flat cards cannot be added using the phone’s camera feature).

The last card used to make a purchase in Samsung Pay will automatically appear as the card that would be used the next time you open the app. However, you can swipe between the cards you have added to select the correct FORUM (debit, credit, etc.) card before making a purchase.

Samsung Pay works at 90 percent of US payment terminals because it uses both NFC (newer technology at payment terminals) and MST technology (older technology at payment terminals).

Make an in-store purchase by swiping up from the home button or selecting the Samsung Pay application from the home screen or app tray. Authorize payments by scanning your fingerprint before hovering the phone over the card reader.

Samsung Pay can perform a limited number of transactions with poor service. If you’re without Internet and need to use Samsung Pay, the app will tap into a limited number of stored tokens on the device.

Samsung Pay is more secure than traditional payment methods because the full card account number is not stored or passed to merchants. A “token” is used in place of the full card account number. A token is a substitute account number that replaces your card number and is used to make secure purchases in stores and in-app. If a card becomes compromised, the full card will not need to be replaced. Instead, a new token will be issued to the member on the same credit card.

You can make a return the same way you would with your plastic card – by contacting the merchant directly. It is recommended that you bring the device used to purchase the item when returning it.

To help reduce check fraud, scams and identity theft, FORUM Credit Union places holds on all deposits greater than $300 made at ATMs. Most financial institutions have placed holds on ATM deposits for years, and due to increasing fraud, FORUM Credit Union is now implementing holds to protect our members and prevent credit union losses. Deposits made at an ATM will be available on the second business day after the deposit, allowing time for deposit verification and collection of funds (members will be notified if longer holds are necessary). However, the first $300 of the deposit is made available immediately. Example: You deposit $450. A hold will be placed on $150 for two business days, and $300 will be immediately available. Also, this hold policy applies to both cash and check deposits since the ATM cannot distinguish the difference between the two.

In conjunction with new Federal regulations, FORUM places pre-authorization holds on transactions performed with your debit card when processed as a “credit” or Mastercard® type purchase. (This does not include PIN-based “debit” transactions.) Since these transactions do not post to your account immediately, funds in the amount of the purchase will be placed on hold in your checking account. This is a way of reserving those funds in your account for the debit card purchase. Most holds are removed automatically when the transaction posts to your account – usually within one or two days. In the event a hold is not removed automatically when the transaction posts, it will automatically drop off 72 hours from the time of the original transaction.

Full account information, including funds on hold and your available balance, are displayed in your account on CU Online, FORUM Credit Union’s home banking site. If you are not currently using CU Online, we encourage you to begin utilizing this free service as the most accurate way of managing your account and receiving account alerts, such as balance information.

See below for answers to frequently asked questions. If you have further questions regarding these policies, please contact the credit union. Thank you for being a FORUM member. We look forward to continuing to serve your financial needs.

When you use your Mastercard® Debit Card to conduct a credit transaction (you do not enter your PIN), the merchant sends us the amount, usually your purchase total, for pre-authorization. This amount is placed on hold and removed from your available balance immediately. Holds are typically released when the transaction clears your account or within 72 hours from the original transaction time, whichever comes first. The hold helps reflect the most current available balance on your account through FORUM’s CU Online, Tellerphone Banking, CU Online Alerts and at ATMs.

No. They only apply to Mastercard® Debit Card purchases when you sign your name or do not enter a PIN. Debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals made using a PIN subtract the funds immediately from your account, thereby reflecting an accurate available balance.

Your available balance reflects any pre-authorization/deposit/check holds, etc. and is used to determine available funds for future transactions on your account. If funds are not sufficient in the available balance at the time a transaction clears, an overdraft or NSF fee is charged for each transaction that attempts to post. Likewise, if there are not sufficient funds in the available balance at the time of new ATM or debit card authorizations, the transactions could be declined.

The balance we use internally as transactions clear is called your current balance and includes all items that have cleared the account up to that point. This current balance does not include outstanding debit card purchases, share drafts (checks) or automatic drafts (ACH).

If you have opted-in for Overdraft Privilege coverage on ATM and everyday debit card transactions, your transactions may still be authorized for a fee. If you have questions about your overdraft coverage, please contact the credit union.

Unlike PIN-based transactions which post immediately, signature-based debit card purchases are a two-step process, consisting of an authorization and a settlement. When your card is swiped for authorization at a merchant, it is verifying that your account is valid, and funds are available for the cost of the transaction. At this point, funds are "held" and deducted from your available balance but are not yet removed from your account. Usually, within one or two days, the settlement transaction is received, and funds are deducted from your account and transferred to the merchant. At this time, the original hold is usually removed.

Most members depend on the accuracy of their available balances to help them avoid non-sufficient funds (NSF) or Overdraft Privilege situations and associated fees. Mastercard® Debit Card pre-authorization holds allow members to view pending transactions and provide timely available balance information.

For example:

John visits the ATM and sees his available checking balance is $100, so he withdraws $50. He doesn’t realize his wife made a Mastercard® Debit Card signature purchase for $75 from their joint account earlier in the day. The resulting balance in their account would be negative when the debit transaction arrives for processing, so their overdraft protection is triggered to transfer $25.

However, if FORUM had placed a Debit Card pre-authorization hold for his wife’s $75 transaction, John would have known that he really only had $25 available to him and could have avoided the NSF situation by withdrawing less money.

No. In fact, we believe this feature provides the information needed to help members avoid overdraft situations and thereby avoid Overdraft Privilege or NSF fees.

The advantage of pre-authorization holds is that you can check your balance and get a more accurate picture of what is truly available to you before you spend. Note: Overdraft Privilege situations may still occur depending on your opt-in status for ATM and everyday debit card transactions. Please contact the credit union if you have questions about your Overdraft Privilege settings.

Your pre-authorized debit transactions, as well as check, deposit and other holds, are displayed within CU Online. On your main account balances page, the available balance will appear as a hyperlink if it is different from your current balance. Within account history, your current balance, available balance and funds on hold appear at the top of the page. The Funds on Hold will also be a hyperlink. Clicking the link will take you to a holds page displaying a breakdown of any existing holds on your account. You can also obtain your available balance through FORUM’s Tellerphone banking and at ATMs.

In addition, you may sign up for an Account Balance Alert in CU Online to notify you via email of your account balances on a daily basis.

No. Some merchants, such as gas stations, hotels, car/truck rental agencies and restaurants, may preauthorize an amount that is higher or lower than the actual purchase amount. For example:

Gas stations: Most automated gas pumps pre-authorize transactions for amounts ranging from $1 for “Credit” transactions to $75 or $100 for “Debit (PIN)” transactions because they do not know how much gas you will pump in advance of your transaction. If you select “Debit” at the pump and they preauthorize $75, we will validate funds in this amount are available and place a hold for $75. At the completion of your purchase, the amount of the actual transaction will post immediately and release the $75 hold. The downside to this type of transaction is that you may not have $75 available in your account at the time. You may have $50 with the intention of purchasing $20 in gas. However due to the “Debit” process used by automated gas pumps, your transaction would be declined. By contrast, if you select “Credit” at the pump, the merchant typically sends through a pre-authorization in the amount of $1. This authorization is simply to ensure the card is valid. When the settlement posts in one or two days, it will clear your account for the amount purchased and release the $1 hold.

Hotels and rental car/truck companies may obtain multiple pre-authorizations on your card for a single transaction resulting in varied holds against the available balance in your account.

For example:

Hotels: When using a Mastercard® Debit Card to make reservations in advance, hotels will generally pre-authorize an amount equal to an overnight stay or more, depending on the length of your stay. This will result in a hold on your account for up to 72 hours, affecting the available balance in your account. Then, when you actually arrive, the hotel may obtain a new pre-authorization. The amount can be unpredictable and is often larger than the cost of your stay to cover possible incidental expenses, such as room service charges, etc.

Because these can result in significant holds against your checking account, we recommend always using a credit card rather than your Mastercard® Debit Card for hotel and car/truck rental transactions. Another option would be to use a credit card for the initial reservation, then use your debit card when you check out or complete the transaction.

Online and telephone Mastercard® Debit Card transactions are processed as credit transactions because you do not have the option to enter your PIN. These types of purchases will create a pre-authorization hold.

When merchants preauthorize an amount that is different from the final transaction total, it’s possible that the hold will not release. However, we’ve found that most holds match off to the final transaction regardless of whether the preauthorized and settlement amounts match. In the event a hold is not matched off, it will automatically be released 72 hours from the time it was placed.

No. Some merchants will not process their settlements in time to reach us within the 72-hour time frame of the hold. In that case, the hold will expire and drop off automatically. Those funds will become available again; however, the transaction still has to clear your account. Please ensure sufficient funds are available in your account to cover your outstanding debit card transactions. Unfortunately, we have no control over how quickly merchants process their transactions.

Pre-authorization holds affect the availability of funds to cover checks drawn on your account as well as other withdrawals, such as electronic (ACH) transactions. Your account history reflects the current balance, not the available balance. Fees are charged when funds are not available in the account when transactions post. If there are not adequate available funds to pay a transaction, applicable Overdraft or NSF fee will occur.

It remains very important to keep records of all payments you’ve authorized from your account. Pre-authorization holds will help track your debit card purchases and reserve the funds before they post to your account. However, we have no record of outstanding checks or ACH transactions you’ve authorized.

Also, depending on your Overdraft Privilege settings, your debit card purchases may have been authorized based on available Overdraft Privilege funds. If this is the case, you will be charged our standard overdraft fees when that transaction posts to your account. Please contact the credit union if you have questions about your Overdraft Privilege settings.

It is always a good idea to have overdraft transfer protection set up on your account. Overdraft transfer protection helps you avoid larger Overdraft Privilege fees by using your Savings Account or Line of Credit loan to automatically cover the insufficient funds.

When you open a FORUM Credit Union checking account, your Savings account is automatically established as the primary overdraft account, but you may also use a Line of Credit loan as well. Please contact us via online chat for more details.

It is not our policy to remove Mastercard® Debit Card pre-authorization holds unless an error was made. If an erroneous hold was placed, or there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us.