Sierra Central Credit Union
Financial Calculators
Sierra Central Online Calculators
PCU Online Banking
What is PCU Online Banking?
Sierra Central's PCU (Personal Credit Union) Online Banking is our internet based Account Access service. It offers you easy access to your accounts through an internet connection 24-hours a day, seven days a week. With Sierra Central's PCU Online Banking you can perform a variety of account activities at your convenience.
It is available FREE of charge to all Sierra Central members. All you need is internet access and a web browser capable of 128-bit encryption (any current browser should meet that requirement).
How do I use PCU Online Banking?
PCU Online Banking is simple to use and easy to navigate.
To login, visit www.sierracentral.com and login from the homepage using your account number for User ID. Once you've typed your account number click, 'Login' and you will be directed to a page to type in your password (Member Services should have reviewed this information with you when you signed up for online banking access).
What is 128-bit encryption?
Encryption is a method of turning plain text into scrambled code for safe transmission of confidential information. Virtually any browser will have at minimum 40-bit encyption built in. More current versions extend that to a greater level of security, 128-bit, which is required to use PCU Online Banking.
How can I tell what encryption level I have?
Internet Explorer - you will need to have at least version 5.01 (current version is 6.0). With the browser open, click on HELP and then ABOUT INTERNET EXPLORER. Just below the version number, look for CIPHER STRENGTH. This is your encryption level.
See Sample Screen Shots for Internet Explorer:
Other browsers will have similar instructions.
In Netscape Navigator, click HELP and then ABOUT COMMUNICATOR (or click the Apple icon for MAC users). Look for the section that reads "Contains encryption software from RSA Data Security, Inc". If it says, "U.S. security", you have 128-bit encryption. If it says "International security," you have 40-bit encryption.
AOL users who are using the most current version of AOL should already have the necessary encryption level. If you find that you cannot access our online banking, then you likely need to upgrade the built in AOL browser. To do so, type in keyword 128browser and follow the instructions to download and install.
What accounts can I access?
Sierra Central's PCU Online Banking gives you convenient 24-hour access to your deposit and loan accounts to perform a variety of transactions: check your balance, transfer or withdraw funds, make your consumer loan payment or verify that your checks have cleared. It's easy!
Additionally, if you have multiple accounts with Sierra Central, you can transfer funds between accounts right from your computer.
When do transactions post to my account?
Instantly! PCU transactions happen in real time.
What financial software is compatible with PCU Online Banking?
Windows versions of Quicken and Microsoft Money (2001 and later) will work with PCU Online Banking. Quicken 2004 and later should work for Macintosh users.
For more details on either product, make the appropriate choice from the drop down menu at the top of this page.
How do I know my banking session is secure?
PCU Online Banking uses software that incorporates full data encryption to ensure the security and privacy of transactions. This encryption technology is so secure that it is classified by the U.S. Department of Defense. United States law forbids export of this technology to other countries. As a further security measure, PCU Online Banking utilizes a separate server firewall, thereby preventing customer data from being directly accessed via the Internet.
You should see a lock or key icon on your browser to indicate the site is secure. If the lock shows as unlocked, or the key broken, that indicates a non-secured site.
How do I change my PCU Online Banking password?
You will be prompted to change your password on your first visit. In addition, we recommend you change your password every few months for best security. To change your password, use the Preferences link on the top of the page within the PCU Banking site. Once you change it, the new password will be in effect and should be used from that point when logging into PCU Online Banking.
What about cookies?
The Internet is a state-less machine. This means that once a user makes a request, and a response is sent back, all communication is severed. The server has no idea or concept of what the client* is doing when it severs the communication. Knowing what state a client is in is very important for PCU Online Banking.
*The client is the end user's computer that is making a request of the host server.
One of the ways to know what state a client is in is to leave "cookies" with a client when a request is made. Cookies are bits of information that a Web site sends to a user's computer. The user's computer may then display the information back to the server on subsequent pages, actions, or visits.
PCU Online Banking uses session cookies that expire once the session has ended. The use of cookies within PCU Online Banking is necessary for security and is required to access the system. Our use of cookies is for user authentication only.
All our cookies have expiration dates, so they will not cache* to your computer at the end of the day.
Cache* is the computer's ability to store more information in a special location.
Common error messages
If the information passed to PCU Online Banking is not correct, you may receive any of the following (or similar) error messages:
Membership cannot be verified as entered. Check your account number and try again, or contact us for further assistance.
This indicates that your account number has been entered incorrectly. Try entering your account number again. If the problem persists, please contact Member Services at 1-800-222-SCCU (7228).
Password cannot be verified as entered.
This generally means you have entered an incorrect password. Verify the password and then re-enter it. Be sure your CAPS LOCK key is not on. Passwords are case-sensitive.
As a security measure, the PCU Online Banking system will allow three invalid password attempts and will lock out the account on the fourth try. Contact us for assistance to reset your password if this occurs.
Service Unavailable
This message is displayed when PCU Online Banking is temporarily down for system maintenance or is experiencing telephone circuit problems. Try again periodically. If the message is displayed repeatedly, contact us.
We will post scheduled downtimes on the main page at sierracentral.com as far in advance as possible.
Why does my session immediately 'time out' after I log in?
There are a few possibilites for this. First, you may have Internet Explorer's CONTENT ADVISOR option turned on. Turning this off should resolve the problem. Microsoft has acknowledged a flaw in the Content Advisor that may occur on websites using Active Server Pages (ASP). This should be resolved in their next update (version 7) of Internet Explorer.
To turn off Content Advisor in most versions of Windows, open Internet Explorer. Click on TOOLS, then INTERNET OPTIONS. Under the CONTENT tab, look at the first section labeled CONTENT ADVISOR. If the button says "Disable" that means it is currently turned on. Click the "Disable" button and type in the supervisor password to turn it off.
View screenshot of Content Advisor
If this does not resolve the problem, you may have spyware / adware that is interfering with Internet Explorer. Download the PDF document noted below to get information on removing the problem software:
What is Veri-ID Enhanced Security?
Veri-ID is an enhanced security feature for PCU Online Banking. It provides a second layer of protection to insure your account information is safe and secure.
