Read-only bank data with Plaid: what it means for your team

When people hear “bank connection,” they often assume passwords are shared or that money can move through the product. In Clarity, connections run through Plaid using flows designed for read-only access: the point is to retrieve balances and transactions so your team can plan—not to initiate transfers.

What you authenticate

You authenticate with your institution through Plaid’s UI. Clarity does not want your bank password on our servers, and you should treat any product that asks for it directly as a red flag. Tokens issued by the bank connection are used to refresh data on a schedule you control by reconnecting or disconnecting accounts.

What read-only still unlocks

• Cash confidence: consolidated balances across eligible accounts.
• Faster reviews: recent debits and credits with enough context to investigate spikes.
• Better AI context: optional insights grounded in transaction text and aggregates—not credentials.

Operational habits that help

Start with one institution, validate that balances match what you see in online banking, then expand. If an item needs reauthentication, treat it like a normal maintenance task—Clarity surfaces reconnect prompts so stale data does not linger quietly.