Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1

How do I change my residential address?

Accepted Answer

To update your address, visit your profile page. In the mobile app, choose Menu, then Settings and Profile. In digital banking, select the profile icon in the upper right and choose Profile.

Question 2

How do I set up Online Statements?

Accepted Answer

To change your opt-in settings, visit the digital banking menu. Select Documents & Statements, then change the toggle to Receive Online Statements only.

Question 3

What accounts will I be able to access through digital banking?

Accepted Answer

You can access your checking, savings, and loan accounts. You can also access secondary accounts, accounts where you are a joint owner and even external accounts from your other financial institutions. Digital banking is intended to give you as much access, security, and versatility as possible.

Question 4

How do I change my date range for account history?

Accepted Answer

On your account select Sort and Filter, then select Time Span, where you can choose the date range you would like to view.

Question 5

How can I change my email address?

Accepted Answer

To update contact information, visit your profile page. In the mobile app, choose Menu, then Settings and Profile. In digital banking, select the profile icon in the upper right and choose Profile.

Question 6

How do I view Online Statements?

Accepted Answer

When your statement is ready to view, login to digital banking, open the menu and select Documents & Statements, then click the month you wish to view.

Question 7

What happens if I forget or lose my password?

Accepted Answer

Click on the "forgot your username or password" link under the login button. You will be directed to a page where you can set up a new password.

Question 8

How current is my financial information?

Accepted Answer

All transactions performed within digital banking are real-time and accurate. Your account information is updated every business day with new transactions that were posted to your account the previous business day.

Question 9

Can I view images of cleared checks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Select the appropriate account inside the mobile app or digital banking. In the transaction history, locate the check transaction you wish to view and click on the check icon to view the image.

Question 10

How do I change my username?

Accepted Answer

To update your username, visit your profile page. In the mobile app, choose Menu, then Settings, and then Security. In digital banking, select the profile icon in the upper right and choose Security.

Question 11

What are the requirements for downloading Online Statements?

Accepted Answer

To view Online Statements, you will need an updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Question 12

Can I create my own password that is easy for me to remember?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For password security, passwords must be 8-32 characters long and must include at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one special character.

Question 13

What can I do with digital banking?

Accepted Answer

View account balances; confirm deposits and withdrawals; transfer funds between checking, savings and line-of-credit accounts; pay bills online; review your electronic account statements; make loan payments; view and download images of cleared checks; apply for a loan; order checks; get a better understanding of your spending behaviors; check your credit score, chat with an Ascend representative during business hours securely without leaving your digital or mobile banking session; and move money conveniently between financial institutions or individuals using External Transfers and Zelle®. Plus, you’ll have the same experience, regardless of the device you’re using.

Question 14

How long are check images available online?

Accepted Answer

Check images are available for up to 16 months.

Question 15

How do I change my password?

Accepted Answer

To change your password, visit your profile page. In the mobile app, choose Menu, then Settings, and then Security. In digital banking, select the profile icon in the upper right and choose Security.

Question 16

How long are statements available online?

Accepted Answer

The number of available online statements will depend on when you registered for the service. The maximum number of viewable online statements is 24 months.

Question 17

How do I access digital banking?

Accepted Answer

To access digital banking for the first time, please visit secure.ascend.org/registration to register. Returning users can visit secure.ascend.org via an online browser or download the Ascend mobile app from the app store.

Question 18

What is digital banking?

Accepted Answer

Digital banking is Ascend’s free online account access service that allows you to use a personal computer with an internet connection or a mobile device, as well as Ascend's mobile app to conduct your financial transactions online. And with digital banking from Ascend, you’ll have the same experience regardless of the device you’re using.

Question 19

Can I view my account details in more than one way?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can view your accounts by date, category, credit or debit, or balance in ascending or descending order.

Question 20

How do I opt-out of Online Statements?

Accepted Answer

To change your opt-in settings, visit the digital banking menu. Select Documents & Statements. Members can toggle Online Statements on or off at their pleasure. For paper statements, a $1 fee applies for each statement, but this fee is waived for members 65 years of age and older and 17 years of age and younger.

Question 21

What is required to use digital banking?

Accepted Answer

To use digital banking, all you need is a secure web browser that supports 128 bit encryption, such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome. You can use any computer that has internet access or a mobile device with Ascend's mobile app. And, you’ll have the same experience regardless of the device you’re using.

Question 22

How do I view my account balances?

Accepted Answer

Using your username and password, you can log in to the mobile app or digital banking to access your account dashboard, which will show the latest balances and transactions.

Question 23

In what formats can I download my transaction history?

Accepted Answer

Digital banking supports downloads in Quicken™ (.qfx), Quickbooks (.qbo), open financial exchange (.ofx), and comma separated (.csv) formats.

Question 24

How do I transfer funds?

Accepted Answer

Choose Make a Transfer inside digital banking or the mobile app. Select the accounts to move funds between. Enter the amount to transfer. Select the date you would like the transfer to occur. Then choose review. A confirmation screen will appear with transfer details where you can confirm, edit or cancel the transaction.

Question 25

How do I enable or update my phone number or email address to receive one time passcodes by text message?

Accepted Answer

To add or update your mobile number or email address for one-time passcodes, visit your profile page. In the mobile app, choose Menu, then Settings, and then Profile. In digital banking, select the profile icon in the upper right and choose Profile. From there, you can enter your phone number into the mobile phone field to receive passcodes via SMS text or your email address to receive them via email.

Question 26

How long can I be inactive before being logged out of digital banking?

Accepted Answer

The inactivity time out default is set for 10 minutes.

Question 27

How do I make a loan payment?

Accepted Answer

Loan payments can be made by selecting the Transfer tab and then choosing "Transfer Between Accounts" or "Pay a Loan with a Debit Card."

Question 28

How do I view account transactions?

Accepted Answer

Click the name of the account you would like to see the account history of. A page will open with transaction details for the default date range.

Question 29

Can I create “nicknames” for my accounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can create "nicknames" for your accounts. Select the account you would like to edit. Choose details at the top. At the bottom of the screen under "Account Nickname", select the pencil icon and you can edit the account name.

Question 30

Can I set up email notifications for my account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can request email notifications for your account balance, cleared checks, large withdrawals, a loan payment due and login alerts. To add the email notification, select Menu, then Alerts, choose the type of alert, select the email account or mobile phone number for the alert and click save.

Question 31

How do I schedule future transfers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. To schedule future transfers, log in to digital banking or the mobile app and select Make a Transfer, then Transfer Between Accounts. Select the account you'd like to transfer from and to, enter the amount, and then select Frequency.

Question 32

How much account information can I view at once?

Accepted Answer

Digital banking automatically shows the current month's transactions and information. You can obtain additional transactions by changing the date range.

Question 33

When can I start using online bill pay?

Accepted Answer

Any account type with the exception of Conservator, Estate or Guardian will have access to bill pay as soon as the registration is complete.

Question 34

How do I add new payees?

Accepted Answer

To add a new payee, type the name of the payee in the "search payees" box near the top of the screen. As you type, we will try to match what you are typing to one of our known payees. If you see the payee in the drop down list, click the name, then click the add button.

If you do not see the name in the drop down, don’t worry; just complete typing the name of your payee, then select "add a new payee". We will then ask you for information about your payee: Account Number – this is your account number with the payee. Enter the account number as it appears on your bill. When making a payment to a person and not a business, you may not have an account number to provide. If this is the case, it is okay to leave the account number field blank. Payee Address – this is the address where you send your payment. ZIP code – in some cases, we do not ask for the entire address of your payee, but just for the payee's ZIP code. When prompted to enter a ZIP code, enter the payee’s ZIP code where you send your payments. Don’t be alarmed if we do not ask for an address. This just means we have already made special arrangements directly with the company you are adding regarding how to remit payments to them. In many cases this means we send them a payment electronically, so we do not need an address. In other cases, companies ask us to send payments to an address that may be different from the address that appears on your bill.

While adding your payee, you can also give it a nickname to make it easy for you to identify. When your payee is added, it will display at the top of your payee list. The next time you come back to the screen, your payees will display in alphabetical order.

Question 35

How do I place a 'stop payment' on a bill payment?

Accepted Answer

A payment may be edited or deleted anytime before the process date. Payments that have been remitted electronically cannot be stopped. If your payment is sent by check and has not been cashed, a stop payment can be placed for a fee of $25.

Question 36

What are payment notes?

Accepted Answer

When scheduling a payment, you can add a note by clicking on the Note drop-down prior to clicking the Review Payment button. If we send the payment by check, we will include this note on the check. We will always print your name and account number on a check whether you provide a note or not. If we send your payment electronically, any note you input will not be included in the payment instructions.

Question 37

Is it possible to schedule recurring payments?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can schedule weekly, semi-monthly, bi-weekly, and monthly recurring payments. You can add an ending to your recurring payment after a specific number of payments or on a specific date.

Question 38

Are all debits and credits sent out at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they are all sent out at the same time.

Question 39

How do I set up a Standard Automatic Payment?

Accepted Answer

Locate the payee you want to pay automatically and click the Options button. From the Options window select the Automatic Payment Tab. If an e-bill is available for your payee, you will be given the option to make payments based on your e-bill. You would need to select the ‘Don’t use my bill information’ option. If an e-bill is not available, you will be presented with the standard automatic payment options. You will be prompted to provide the funding account from where to make the payment (checking), the payment amount, frequency of payments, first payment date and number of payments. Click Save.

Question 40

When is bill pay available?

Accepted Answer

You can schedule payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Question 41

How do I cancel a scheduled payment?

Accepted Answer

You can cancel a scheduled payment up until the time we begin to process it for payment. To cancel a payment: Locate the payment in the Scheduled Payments section and click its corresponding cancel icon.

Question 42

When I add a new payee to bill pay or change my account number, how quickly will the change take place?

Accepted Answer

When you update the information for Online Bill Pay, the changes are implemented immediately.

Question 43

How do I register for online bill pay?

Accepted Answer

The first time you attempt to access the bill pay section of digital banking, you will be prompted to begin online registration. You are first requested to read and accept the authorization disclosure. Failure to accept the disclosure terms prevents the registration process from proceeding. Once the disclosure is agreed to, complete the online registration form.

Question 44

How is my account debited?

Accepted Answer

Your account is debited via Automated Clearing House (ACH).

Question 45

How do I turn off an automatic payment?

Accepted Answer

Locate the Payee, select the Update Recurring Payment option to Cancel the series, or go through similar steps from the Scheduled Payments area.

Question 46

Can Online Bill Pay be used when I am out of the country?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you have already scheduled one-time or recurring payments, they will be processed as usual while you're away. If you need to schedule a bill payment while you're out of the country, find internet access, log into digital banking and then Online Bill Pay, and schedule your payment. Payees must be located within the 50 United States and Territories.

Question 47

How do I review my payment history?

Accepted Answer

Click on Payment History to see the last 90 days. You can click on "Show More" to see additional payment history.

Question 48

Are my online bill pay transactions reflected as online banking transactions?

Accepted Answer

All online bill pay transactions become part of the online banking transaction history and show up in personal financial management applications when the transaction history is downloaded.

Question 49

How do I edit a scheduled payment?

Accepted Answer

You can edit any scheduled payment up until the time we begin to process it for payment. To edit a scheduled payment: Locate Scheduled Payments. Click on the payment you wish to edit to update the payment source, amount and deliver by date.

Question 50

Can I receive an annual summary of my bill payments sorted by category or payee?

Accepted Answer

Question 51

How do I determine the status of my payments?

Accepted Answer

There are several statuses associated with a payment as it goes through its lifecycle. Following is an explanation of the various statuses.

Scheduled: Represents a payment that has been scheduled to be processed on a future date. A payment in this status is eligible to be edited or canceled.

In Process: Represents a transaction that is currently being processed and can no longer be edited or canceled.

Sent: Represents a check payment where the check has been printed and mailed.

Cleared: Represents a check payment where the check has been received and negotiated by the payee.Completed: Represents an electronic payment where the payment has been delivered to the payee.

Canceled: Represents a payment that you canceled.

Stopped: Represents a payment made by check where a stop payment has been placed on the check either at your request or by us because the biller has not received the payment.

Suspended: This is a temporary status that can be placed on a payment while we research a potentially invalid delivery address.

Declined: Represents a payment where after additional review, it is determined that the delivery address provided for the payee is not a deliverable address.

Failed: Generally represents an electronic payment where the payee has returned the credit attempt. A reason this might happen is if the payee does not recognize the account number sent in the payment instructions.

Insufficient Funds: The account from which a payment is being made does not have sufficient funds.

Returned: Generally represents a check payment returned by the Post Office because it could not be delivered, or it’s returned by the payee – possibly due to an overpayment.

Hold: A payment may temporarily be placed in this status while we are conducting an internal review of the payment request. We will notify you if we have any problems processing your payment request.

Question 52

What is online bill pay?

Accepted Answer

Online bill pay is Ascend’s free electronic bill payment service.

Question 53

What if I do not have sufficient funds on the day FIS, the credit union's bill pay provider, debits my account?

Accepted Answer

When we make a payment on your behalf, funds will be debited from your funding account one to two days after the payment’s “Deliver By” date. If funds are not available in your account when we attempt to make the debit, your bill pay account will be blocked and you will be notified via email. During the period of time your account is blocked, we will not process any of your scheduled payments. You will also not be able to schedule any new payments or set up any automatic payment rules during this period. Once your account becomes unblocked, we will resume making your scheduled payments. You will need to reschedule any payments that were canceled while your account was blocked.

In an effort to unblock your account, we will attempt a second debit. If the second debit attempt is successful, your account will be unblocked within three business days. If the second attempt fails, a third attempt to debit the funds from your account will be made. If the third attempt is successful, your account will be unblocked within three business days. If the third attempt is unsuccessful, we will attempt to contact you to resolve the issue.

Note: We have a relationship with some of our billers we pay frequently that allows us to pull a payment back from them. We call these “reversible billers.” If we are unsuccessful in debiting your funding account on our second attempt, we will pull the funds back from the biller. Once we pull the funds back from your payee, your account will immediately be unblocked and you will need to issue another payment to your payee.

Question 54

How do I edit an existing payee?

Accepted Answer

If some of your payee information has changed, or you would like to update your payee nickname, you can edit it from within the Payees & eBills section. After clicking on the Payee name, select the "Edit" option to update the nickname.

Additional fields, such as the address, may not be available to edit, based on how the payee currently receives payment, don’t worry; that means we have a payment relationship with that payee and get payment delivery instructions directly from them. If we don’t already have a payment relationship with the payee, you will be able to update the Address fields, as well.

Question 55

What is ACH?

Accepted Answer

Automated Clearing House (ACH) is a funds transfer system which provides for the interbank clearing of electronic entries for participating financial institutions.

Question 56

How do I edit an existing Automatic Payment?

Accepted Answer

Locate the payee and select Options. From the Options window select the Automatic Payment tab. Your existing payment settings will be displayed. Change to your new desired settings and click Save.

Question 57

Who can be paid using the online bill pay system?

Accepted Answer

We can make a payment to just about anyone, but due to legal requirements, we do limit your ability to make certain types of payments. Payments to payees outside of the United States are prohibited and may not be issued under any circumstances. In addition, the following payments are discouraged, but may be scheduled at your own risk: Tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service or any state or other government agency; court-ordered payments, such as alimony or child support; and payments to insurance companies. We will not notify you if you attempt to make any of these payments and we will not be liable if you schedule a prohibited or discouraged payment.

Question 58

What are Ascend’s current loan rates?

Accepted Answer

Visit our Rates Dashboard for current rates.

Question 59

What fees can I expect from Ascend?

Accepted Answer

Visit our Rates Dashboard for current rates and fees.

Question 60

What types of credit cards are offered by Ascend?

Accepted Answer

We offer a Visa Platinum and Visa Platinum Rewards card for those who qualify. Both cards feature no annual fee and low interest rates. Learn more here.

Question 61

Where are Ascend’s ATM locations and are there fees to use them?

Accepted Answer

For a complete list of surcharge-free ATM locations, visit our Branch/ATMs page.

Question 62

How do I dispute a charge on my account?

Accepted Answer

We must be made aware of disputed or fraudulent/unauthorized transaction within 60 days of that month’s statement date. A dispute is processed depending on the method used to clear the original transaction. Please contact us by phone at 800-342-3086 or in person for additional assistance.

Question 63

Does Ascend offer CDs (or Certificates of Deposit)?

Accepted Answer

We offer Share certificates, which are the same as CDs offered by a bank. Our certificate accounts program was developed to offer a greater variety of options at competitive rates to increase your return, including Jumbo Certificate options that offer negotiable rates and terms. For a complete list of options, visit our Certificate Accounts page.

Question 64

Where would I mail a deposit for my account?

Accepted Answer

Deposits may be mailed to Ascend Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 1210, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Please make note of the account number to receive credit before placing the deposit in the mail.