An attorney needs to know what an account held on a particular day. Instead of subpoenaing the bank, they send the account holder a one-time link. The account holder signs in at their own bank and approves a read of the records requested — no password changes hands, and the approval can be withdrawn at any time.
Three pages explain the parts a court or a client is likely to ask about.
Three parties, three different worries. The attorney needs a record with nothing missing. The account holder wants to say yes now and no later. The bank will not release anything until it can verify that the person asking was actually authorized.
Read moreCivil Rule 26 does not keep anyone’s financial records. They stay at the bank, credit union, or brokerage that issued them, and travel only as far as the account holder’s authorization allows.
Read moreThe same mechanism as “Sign in with Google”: the account holder signs in at their own bank, approves a specific request, and the attorney receives permission to read those records — never a password.
Read moreThe connection itself is provided by Plaid, the financial data network that links banks, brokerages, and financial apps under a shared set of agreements. See who uses Plaid on Plaid’s own site.