Home Banking FAQs - Penn State Federal Credit Union

Q: What is Penny On-Line?

A: Penny On-Line is Internet account access. It is available to all members and there are no fees for the service. Penny On-Line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All it takes is your own personal computer, a supported web browser and Internet access! By using simple prompts on your computer screen, Penny On-Line allows you to:

Check account balances (six months of history)
View and print account activity (six months of history)
Transfer funds between accounts
Withdraw funds (we mail a check to you)
Access Penny Bill Pay
Pay your Visa Credit Card

Every time you use Penny On-Line you must leave by clicking the End Session button located at the bottom left of the side bar on each screen. This is to ensure your session has closed.

Accessing your account through Penny On-Line is SAFE. When using your online account, you are accessing a SECURE area. Your privacy and account security will always be maintained while you are enjoying the convenience and control of Penny On-Line.

Q: I already have an account, but I haven't created a username, how do I login?

Contact Penn State Federal to set up your new username.
Your username:
- must be 3-20 characters
- must have no special characters (spaces, dashes, etc.)
- must start with a letter
Create a new password (passwords are case sensitive)
- must be at least 8 characters (letters and/or numbers)
- must have no special characters (spaces, dashes, etc.)
Select an eStamp Image and eStamp Phrase - you will see these every time you login to your account. eStamp is a fraud prevention feature. It allows you to customize your Penny On-Line Log In screen so that you know to only enter your password into your log in screen, and not enter your password into an illegitimate site. Remember -- your eStamp Phrase is NOT a password.
Login using your new username and password. Make sure the eStamp image and phrase that appear are the ones you've selected.

If you're having trouble creating your username or password, contact teller services at 814-863-0265.

Q: I'm a new user, how do I set up my Penny On-Line account?

If you received a username and temporary password when you opened your account, please use it to log in. Otherwise contact teller services to create your new Penny On-Line account.

Q: I'm a new user, how do I set up my Penny Line account?

A: To set up your Penny Line account, call 814-865-3983 or 800-828-4636. When prompted, enter your member number and the primary account holder's social security number. You'll then be asked to create a 4-digit audio response PIN number. This number must be between 0011 and 9998. You'll now login using your member number and PIN number.

Q: What are the requirements for me to use Penny On-Line?

A: The fact that you are viewing this webpage means you probably meet most of the requirements for using Penny On-Line. Because it delivers Penn State Federal account information over the Internet, users need at least one Penn State Federal account to access, as well as a computer and some form of access to the Internet. Beyond these basics, there are some additional requirements you will want to review before signing on to Penny On-Line.

Members who have forgotten their access code should call member services to have their password reset, then set up a new, secret access code by calling Penny Line.

It is important that you use a recommended browser. Your "browser" is the software that you use to view pages of information on the World Wide Web. Due to security features and functionality of Penny On-Line Penn State Federal recommends one of the following tested browsers.

Firefox - newest version
Internet Explorer - newest version
Opera - newest version
Safari - newest version
Google Chrome - newest version

You will need a computer that is powerful enough to run these browsers. For best results when viewing Penn State Federals Penny On-Line pages, we highly recommend using a monitor that supports at least 256 colors and your screen resolution be set to at least 800x600.

You will need a dial-up or direct connection to the Internet. Direct connections are cable modems, DSL connections or an ISDN line. Typical homes use dial-up connections, Penny On-Line requires that you use at least a 28.8 bps modem, but for best results a 56k modem or higher is highly recommended.

Q: Why am I receiving a "Restart Session" error or a "You have attempted to execute the same transaction twice" error from the Penny On-Line server?

A: Make sure that you are using one of the recommended web browsers. Please see What are the requirements for me to use Penny On-Line in this FAQ.

Be sure that your web browser is configured properly. Please see Are there any special browser settings I should know about? in this FAQ.

Are you dialing up? The pages may be taking too long to load or, you may be taking too long to act.

Also, be sure that you are not behind a proxy server. Please see Why am I receiving errors in Penny On-Line when trying to use the service behind a proxy server? in this FAQ for further explanation.

Q: I have never logged into Penny On-Line. What is my access code?

A: Visit the Home Banking/E-Statements page.

Q: Internet Explorer saved my password, how do I remove it?

Open Tools
Click on 'Internet Options'
Click on 'AutoComplete' button
Click 'Clear Forms' button
Click 'Clear Passwords' button

Q: I'm having trouble signing in; I forget my username or password?

A: Make sure you are entering the correct username. Passwords should have no special characters, dashes, or spaces. If you forget your password or are a first-time user, please contact teller services.

After you log in you can change your password to another number by clicking "change password" in the "Other Options" tab of the navigation. Passwords must be at least 8 characters (letters or numbers - no special charactors), and are case sensitive.

If you still need help or have questions about Penny On-Line, contact member services.

Q: Are my passwords for Penny On-Line, Penny Line, and my debit or ATM card the same?

A: This depends. You choose your password for Penny On-Line and Penny Line when you create your accounts. If you choose to make the passwords the same then they will be the same. By using different passwords and changing them periodically, you are better able to protect your account information.

Your Penny Line password must be 4-digits and fall numerically between 0011 and 9998.

Penny On-Line passwords must be at least 8 characters, have no special characters (spaces, dashes, etc), and are case sensitive.

Q: Are there any special browser settings I should know about?

A: To help insure that your visit to Penny On-Line is as safe, simple and error-free as possible, we recommend that you check your browser to verify it is configured with the following settings:

Verify that you are using one of the recommended web browsers.
The recommended web browsers are listed in this FAQ. To check your browser version click on the Help menu in your browser. Click on the selection that says 'About Internet Explorer' or 'About Netscape'. The version of your web browser should be displayed on this screen.
Set your web browser to download a new version of visited web pages on every visit.
In Internet Explorer 5.0 and above:
- Click on the Tools menu.
- Click on Internet Options.
- Click on the Settings button.
- Click on the Every visit to the page radio button under Check for newer versions of stored pages.
- Click on the OK button.
- Click on the Delete Files button.
- Check the Delete all offline content box.
- Click on OK.
- Click on OK.
In Netscape 4.78 and 4.79:
- Click on the Edit menu.
- Click on Preferences.
- Click on the + sign next to Advanced.
- Click on Cache.
- Click on the Every Time radio button.
- Click on the Clear Disk Cache button.
- Click on the Clear Memory Cache button.
- Click on OK.

Q: Why am I receiving errors in Penny On-Line when trying to use the service behind a proxy server?

A: Penny On-Line uses sessions and cookies for security reasons. A unique session id is generated every time you log into Penny On-Line. The session is designed to time out after thirty minutes.

A proxy server saves a copy of web pages you, or someone on your network, visits. When the page is requested again, the page data is sent from the proxy server instead of the web server that you have requested data from (in this case Penny On-Line).

Because the data is being loaded from the proxy server instead of Penny On-Line, you are not being given a new session id. Our Penny On-Line server sees the old session id and denies access because the session has expired. This is done for the security and the protection of your account.

If you are trying to access Penny On-Line from behind a proxy server, please ask your network administrator to take your computer off the proxy server. This, along with the proper browser settings, will prevent you from receiving "Restart Session errors" and "You have tried to execute the same transaction twice errors". Not using a proxy server also means that your account data will not be stored on the proxy server, which may not be secure.

Q: How do I download Penny On-Line info into Quicken or Money?

Log on to Penny On-Line.
Click "History Inquiry" on left menu.
Click on the Quicken/Money Download link.
Select the account, beginning, and ending dates.
Select the appropriate program, MS Money OFX for MS Money, QIF for Quicken.
Click "Continue".
You will be prompted to Save or Open the file. Click on the Save button. Save the .ofx or .qif file to your hard drive or desktop.
After saving the file, consult your Quicken or Money user's manual for instructions on how to import or open a .qif or .ofx file.

Q: Are there any fees for using Penny On-Line?

A: Unlike many other financial institutions, there is no monthly charge for members to use Penny On-Line. There is no cost for looking up account balances and histories, and no cost to make transfers, view statements, get direct deposit information or get tax information

Q: Are there any limitations I should be aware of with Penny On-Line?

A: While Penn State Federal has designed Penny On-Line to offer a remarkable amount of power and convenience, please be aware of a few limitations. Some will be resolved when Penny On-Line enhancements are put in place in the months ahead.

Federal law limits the number of transfers that can be performed from Penn State Federal savings accounts. Members with Penn State Federal savings and money market accounts are legally limited to six electronic withdrawals from each of those accounts per month. Electronic withdrawals include pre-authorized withdrawals or transfers made automatically using payroll deduction or automatic transfer, withdrawals made by check or Check Card, or withdrawals or transfers requested through telephone or Penny On-Line. If you reach this limit, please fax us your request or stop by Penn State Federal. We will need your signature to complete the transaction.

Q: What is the timeframe for Penny On-Line to perform transactions?

A: Because Penny On-Line lets you access account information in "real time," most transactions will affect your account very quickly. Account information and transaction histories are accurate as of that very minute. This is also true with direct deposit. Transfers made with Penny On-Line are performed instantly whether you are transferring between shares or to another member.

Q: How do I do a Share-to-Share Transfer?

A: When in Penny On-Line click the button for Transfers and Share to Share Transfer. The boxes that come up are marked:

Select the Share ID: - select the transfer from account
Select the Share Transfer ID: - select the transfer to account
Amount to Transfer: - enter the amount you would like to transfer

Q: I am receiving a message that says 'Higher Grade Browser Encryption Required for Internet Home Banking'.

A: We recently upgraded the encryption of Penny On-Line to 128 bit. If you are getting this message, please download and install the latest version of Internet Explorer at this link.

If you have installed this update and still cannot access Penny On-Line please open Internet Explorer and click on Help>About Internet Explorer. Make certain the Version is 6.0 or above and the Cipher Strength is 128-bit.

If the Cipher Strength is not 128-bit after installing the newer version, please download the 128-bit encryption plug-in from Microsoft here.