Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Frequently Asked Questions, here you can obtain information and suggestions for problems you may be experiencing. Click on a problem below for information and suggestions related to that problem.

If this area does not provide you with the information you are looking for, please email us at intouch@banknewport.com or use your mailbox option from within Focus Online Banking to contact us. You may also contact our Focus Online Banking Center at 401-845-8616 or 1-877-709-2265(option 4) outside the Newport County area. We are available Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST.

System and Web Browser Information

What equipment and software do I need to access Focus Online Banking?
Is the Internet safe and secure for online banking?
What is 128-bit encryption, and why do I need it?
Can anyone else see my account information?
What are Cookies?
What if Focus Online Banking goes down? Will my payments be made, will my transfers go through?

How to Sign Up for or Sign onto Focus Online Banking
How do I get a Sign-On ID and password for online banking?
What are the requirements for selecting a Sign-On ID and Password?
What do I do if I forget my password?
What do I do if I cannot remember my Sign-On ID and password?

General Questions
I have both business accounts and personal accounts; can I transfer between them?
How do I use the Cross Customer Transfer option?
What types of accounts can I access with Focus Online Banking?
Does Focus Online Banking work with other accounting software (i.e., Quicken®, Money®)?

How to Pay Your Bills Using Focus Online Banking
How do I pay a bill?
Who can I send a payment to?
How do I create a payee?
When I add a payee, the system requires that I enter an account number. What if I want to pay someone, but I don't have an account with them?
Can I use Focus Online Bill Pay to send a bill payment out of different checking account?
Should the payment date I select be the date the payment is actually due?
How soon are the funds taken out of my account?
What happens if I don't have enough money in my account to cover a bill payment?
When and how are my payments delivered and how can I ensure that my payee receives my payment on the due date?
Why does it take a few days to process payments?
What should I do if a payee has not posted my payment?
How can I prove payments and transfers were made?
How will the payments be made?
How do I find out if my payment will go electronically or as a paper check?
Can I choose the method of payment?
How can I make a payment on my BankNewport loan?

E-Statements
What is E-Statements?
Is there a fee for this service?
How do I start receiving E-Statements?
I've signed up for E-Statements and I'm not receiving my notification that my E-Statement is ready.
How can I reconcile my E-Statement?
How long are E-Statements retained?
How do I cancel E-Statements?

SafeBank
What is SafeBank?
What does this mean to me?
What is a digital certificate?
Why should I do this?
Should I register this computer?
What if I need or want to use another computer?
What is a public computer?
When will you ask me a security question?
How do I use a digital certificate?

What equipment and software do I need to access Focus Online Banking?

You'll need an Internet service provider, a modem (28,800 baud or higher is recommended), and Browser software which supports Secure Sockets Layer (i.e. Netscape 4.x or newer, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x or newer. Latest browser version is recommended).

Is the Internet safe and secure for online banking?

Yes. This is a common concern with banking on the Internet. Data on the Internet is safeguarded by encryption as it moves between systems. Data residing on a system can only be accessed by using an authorized sign-on ID and Password. Any kind of breach in the security of our systems would be a serious business issue for BankNewport. Our success depends on our ability to manage these systems safely and to continue to earn your trust as our customer. Please be assured that we will take every measure possible to protect the financial information and resources you have entrusted to us. You can help safeguard your information and the banking systems by protecting your Sign-On ID and Password, please do not give anyone this information.

What is 128-bit encryption, and why do I need it?

Encryption is the process of encoding a message so that only the sender and the recipient can tell what the message really says. A simple way to encrypt this sentence, for example, would be to substitute a number for each letter, according to the position of that letter in the alphabet: 1 for "a", 2 for "b", and so on. As you can imagine, this method of encryption could be easily decoded.

BankNewport uses a combination of security technologies to protect its customers, their transactions, and the Bank itself. Each customer is given a unique Sign-On ID and password that they must use in order to enter the online banking service. You, the customer, plays a key role in maintaining security by ensuring that your Sign-On ID and password remain confidential at all times.

A Verisign™ Digital Certificate and your browser's Secure Socket Layer (SSL) ensure 128-bit encryption of your banking transactions. Firewalls at each point of entry prevent intrusion into the online banking service.

The 128-bit encryption enforced by our Verisign™ Digital Certificate is the highest level of encryption currently available for public use in the United States. To guarantee that you get this level of protection, we require that you use a browser that supports 128-bit encryption with our online banking service.

Can anyone else see my account information?

Your online account information is available through access methods, which have been rigorously tested for their secure access. The information is not public. Only you can access it using your Sign-On ID and Password.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files on your system, used for keeping track of settings or data for a particular Web site. Because the servers that receive your requests for Web pages have no way of knowing specifically who is making a request, they have no way of storing settings for specific users or changing the page they send based on choices a user has made on another page. Cookies solve this problem by saving settings on your computer system. When your browser requests a page, it sends the settings that apply to that page along with the request. Because your browser will send back only the settings to the server that originally created them, cookies are a very secure way of maintaining data that is specific to a particular user. Cookies can be temporary or permanent. Your browser keeps track of temporary cookies as long as it is running, but deletes them when it is shut down. Temporary cookies are used to pass information between Web pages during a single visit. (Focus Online Banking uses this method) Your browser saves permanent cookies as tiny files on your system to maintain settings or data between multiple visits. "Permanent" cookies are actually set to expire at some time in the future (commonly between 30 days and a year from their creation date), and are automatically deleted from your system at that time. Cookies are currently the only way to save personal choices between visits to a Web page without having to log on each time you come to the page.

Cookie Concerns

Although disabling cookies for your browser is an option, it's intended for a small minority of people with extreme security or privacy concerns. If you choose it, you give up a lot of convenience in exchange for a small amount of perceived privacy. For example, with or without cookies, it is currently possible for the creators of a Web site you visit to keep track of such things as the following:

The address of the page that contained the link that brought you to their site
All the pages you visit on their site
Choices you made on forms on their site
What browser you are using
Extensions you might have added to your browser
The operating system you are using
The time your system clock is set to
The absolute address (IP address) of the server that connects you to the Internet

The only thing cookies add is the ability to keep track of this type of information over multiple visits, thereby allowing the creators of the Web site to build a more precise profile of a particular visitor's preferences. But the creators of a Web site do not have access to personal information such as your name or your e-mail address unless you specifically give it to them. Therefore they have no way of matching any data they might have gathered with a specific user. The only information available to a Web site that comes close to identifying you specifically is the IP address, but most Internet servers provide connections for multiple users, and each user is usually assigned a new IP address randomly each time they log on.

What if Focus Online Banking goes down? Will my payments be made, will my transfers go through?

If Focus Online Banking and all of our back up systems were to go down, you can be assured that any transaction for which you had already processed, prior to the system going down, will go through. If you were in the middle of a transaction and there is some question as to whether the system has received the request, you may click your Bill Payment tab and view all your payments that are scheduled to be made. You may also contact our Online Banking Center at 401-845-8616 or 1-877-709-2265(option 4) outside the Newport County area Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30PM EST to ensure your transaction request has been accepted.

How do I get a Sign-On ID and password for online banking?

In order get a Sign-On ID and password for online banking, you need to enroll your account(s) using our online enrollment form. To enroll, click here and do the following:

You will see two buttons, one for Personal Account Enrollment and the other for Business Account Enrollment. Click on the link that applies to you. If you have a Business Account and do not have a Tax ID number please select the Personal Account Enrollment and use your Social Security number. This will take you to the appropriate online enrollment form.
Fill out the enrollment form and submit it.
Once we receive your enrollment, you will have immediate access to your accounts. If your application requires special attention we will contact you to confirm that the information is correct. We will then set up your account(s) for online banking, and will provide you with your Sign-On ID and temporary password. When you log in for the first time, the online banking service will require that you change the temporary password.

What are the requirements for selecting a Sign-On ID and Password?

Your Sign-On ID must be between seven and fifteen characters in length. Your Password is required to be alphanumeric and must be between seven and fifteen characters in length.

What do I do if I forget my password?

Simply go to the Sign-On page (below the Sign-On box) and you will see "Can't remember your Password?" Click the link and this will bring you to a screen where you will need to provide your Sign-On and then answer the security question/phrase you chose under Options in Focus Online Banking. If you answer correctly, your password will be emailed to the email address we have on file.

If you forget your password for your business accounts, you must call the System Administrator for your company. This is an individual within your company who was enrolled as the System Administrator. If you are the System Administrator please contact our Focus Online Banking Center at 845-8616 or 1-877-709-2265(option 4) outside the Newport County area. We are available Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30PM EST.

What do I do if I cannot remember my Sign-On ID and password?

If you forget your Sign-On ID, or you forget both your Sign-On ID and your password, you will need to contact our Focus Online Banking Center at 845-8616 or 1-877-709-2265(option 4) outside the Newport County area. We are available Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30PM EST.

If you forget your Sign-On ID for your business accounts, you must call the System Administrator for your company. This is an individual within your company who was enrolled as the System Administrator. If you are the System Administrator please contact our Focus Online Banking Center at 845-8616 or 1-877-709-2265(option 4) outside the Newport County area. We are available Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30PM EST.

I have both business accounts and personal accounts; can I transfer between them?

If your business has its own tax ID number, then you cannot transfer between your business and personal accounts. Banking regulations prevent the Bank from allowing this type of transaction -- and your accountant would probably also frown on this type of transaction, even if we allowed it. You can, however, use online bill payment to solve this problem. As a person, you can pay your business; and your business can pay you as a person.

How do I use the Cross Customer Transfer option?

When you use Cross Customer Transfer it allows you to credit any BankNewport customers account. First you must request that an account be setup, BankNewport will then process your request within 24 business hours. Once your request has been processed you will then see the added account. Now you are able to enter an amount and transfer funds. These transfers are immediately credited. Unfortunately this option is not available to business customers whom have a tax Identification.

What types of accounts can I access with Focus Online Banking?

With Focus Online Banking you can access all your BankNewport accounts.

Does Focus Online Banking work with other accounting software (i.e., Quicken®, Money®)?

Absolutely, Focus Online Banking was designed to be highly compatible with these popular software products. To download to Quicken® or Microsoft Money® Sign onto Focus Online Banking, then click the link in the upper right hand corner. This will walk you through the quick download process.

How do I pay a bill?

To make a payment, there are two basic steps:

Make sure the company or person that you are going to pay is on your Payee List.
When you use online banking, the company or person that you are going to pay is called a "payee". You can add a payee yourself using the Add Payee function. Whenever possible, you should select a payee from our list of Standard Payees, because payments to Standard Payees are generally made via electronic payment. If your bill has different information that what our list displays please add your payee to avoid any possible payment problems. Each payee that you have selected or added appears on your Payee List.
Create a payment to the payee.
Almost all the payments you make will be "one-time" payments. A payment to your doctor for a check-up is an example of a one-time payment. Another example is your monthly credit card bill. Because the amount changes each month, you should make a one-time payment for each bill. If you have bills that come due on the same date and for the same amount every period, it may be more convenient to set up a "recurring payment". For example, if you make the same mortgage payment for the same amount every month, you can set up a recurring payment to automatically issue that payment on a certain day of each month.

Please refer to the question "When and how are my payments delivered and how can I ensure that my payee receives my payment on the due date?" for more details.

Who can I send a payment to?

You can send a payment or money to anyone within the United States.

How do I create a payee?

If the person or company you want to pay is not on our list of Standard Payees, then you can add a payee yourself. Let's assume you want to make a payment to your veterinarian using online banking. To add your veterinarian as a payee in the online banking service, follow these steps:
Enter your Sign-On ID and password to log in to Focus Online Banking. This will take you to the page titled Accounts.
On the top of the page there are tabs. Click on Bill Payments. This page will show you any payments you have already made.
At the top of the page is a set of buttons. Click on Add Payee. This will take you to the page subtitled New Payee, where you create a new payee.
Fill out the New Payee information. For example, you might enter:

Name: Animal Hospital
Address Line 1: 21 Park Avenue
Address Line 2: (blank)
City: Middletown
State: RI
Zip Code: 02840
Phone number: 111-222-3333
Account number: 1234569
NOTE: The account number in this case is your account with the veterinarian. This is the account number that appears on the bill you receive from your vet.

Click the Submit button at the bottom of the form to create the payee. The payee will now appear in your List of Payees.
You can now verify the information that you entered for the payee. If you need to make a change to the payee information, click the Edit link on the right side of the payee entry. This will take you to the page subtitled Edit Payee, where you can correct the information for this payee.

You have now completed the process of creating a payee. Now you are ready to make a payment.

When I add a payee, the system requires that I enter an account number. What if I want to pay someone, but I don't have an account with them?

You can pay a person or company even if you do not have an account with them. When you add new payees, you will probably find that the payees fall into one of two categories:

Companies with Whom You Have an Account
One of the required fields for a payee is the Account #. For companies like the phone company, or a utility, your bill shows your account number with that company. When you add a payee for the phone company, for example, you should put your phone company account number in the Account # field. This ensures that your payment to the phone company will credit the account number you enter.
People or Companies With Whom You Do Not Have an Account
In some cases, you will want to pay someone, but you do not have an account with that person or company. In these cases, you will need to put something in the Account # field in order to tell the payee what the check is for. In situations like this, where you do not have an actual account with a payee, you can think of the Account # field as a "message" field. If you went for an eye examination and wanted to pay the doctor, you could enter "Eye Exam 1/31/2000" in the Account # field.

Note that whatever you put in the Payee Account Number field will either be electronically transmitted or appear on the check.

Can I use Focus Online Bill Pay to send a bill payment out of different checking account?

Yes, you can select any of your checking accounts to send a bill payment from.

Should the payment date I select be the date the payment is actually due?

No, the date you select is the date your payment is debited from your account and sent to the payee. Please allow 2-3 business days for payments that are electronically submitted. In order to allow sufficient time for check payments to reach their destination you must enter a date 5-7 business days before it is due. If the date you selected falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday your account will be debited on the following business day. Bill Payments requested after 9:00PM EST will be processed on the following business day. To determine if your merchant accepts electronic payments please click here. Payments that cannot be electronically submitted to a merchant are processed by check.

How soon are the funds taken out of my account?

The funds will be debited from your account on the date you select when scheduling a bill payment. If the date you selected falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday your account will be debited on the following business day.

What happens if I don't have enough money in my account to cover a bill payment?

If your account has sufficient overdraft protection to cover the payment, we'll draw against that. Otherwise, the payment will not be made due to insufficient funds.

When and how are my payments delivered and how can I ensure that my payee receives my payment on the due date?

When you schedule a payment, Focus Online Banking warehouses the payment until it is time to process it. The time to process will vary depending on how the payment is to be made and how long it will take to get the payment to the payee.

Once the system has determined that it is time to process the payment, the payment is changed to a processing status. The payment is then processed by conducting an electronic funds transfer, or a check is produced and made payable to the payee from your account. The check is then sent to the payee via regular mail.

Why does it take a few days to process payments?

Although a number of your payees accept payments electronically, many do not. For those that do not accept electronic payments, we must send a check to that payee through the U.S. Mail. Once it is received by the payee, it may also take a day or so for that payee to process the check and post it to your account. Even for electronic payments, it may take two or three days for your payment to be posted. By allowing a few days for processing and delivery, we can guarantee that your bills are paid on time.

What should I do if a payee has not posted my payment?

You need to allow a few days for your payee to process your payment. If your payee has not posted the payment to your account after a few days, send an online message to the Bill Payment Desk to inquire about the status of the payment. Be sure to provide the payment amount, date it debited your account, who the payee is and the reference number. The payment will then be traced and a status response will be emailed to you.

How can I prove payments and transfers were made?

With each payment and transfer, you are given a reference number so you know we received it. In addition, payments and transfers will appear on your transaction register so you can see they posted. You'll also continue to receive your monthly statement in the mail from your payee.

How will the payments be made?

We use two methods of payment:

Electronic - Focus Online Banking sends an electronic credit to your payee and electronically debits your checking account on the date you selected. Electronic payments are credited within 2-3 business days.
Paper Check - looks and acts just like one of your personal checks. Check payments are generally credited within 5-7 business days.

How do I find out if my payment will go electronically or as a paper check?

Payments that cannot be electronically submitted to a merchant are processed by check. In order to allow sufficient time for check payments to reach their destination you must enter a date 5-7 business days before it is due. Please allow 2-3 business days for payments that are electronically submitted. If the date selected falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday your account will be debited on the following business day. Bill Payments requested after 9:00PM EST will be processed on the following business day. To determine if your merchant accepts electronic payments please click here.

Can I choose the method of payment?

No. Focus Online Banking will process the payment electronically if possible. If not, then we will produce a check. Over time, some payees which could not accept electronic payment may be able to. They will then begin being paid electronically automatically.

How can I make a payment on my BankNewport loan?

To make a payment on your BankNewport Loan please click the Transfer tab and complete the payment information. By using the transfer tab you're able to make a payment immediately on a business day.

What is E-Statements?

Signing up for E-Statements will allow you to receive your entire bank statement electronically in place of your paper statement. You will also be able to see the front & back of your checks.

Is there a fee for this service?

E-Statements is a free service.

How do I start receiving E-Statements?

You must first enroll online for our Free Online Banking Service. Once you Sign-On with your Sign-On ID and password, you will then click the E-Statements button. Here you will accept the terms of this service. Once your bank statement is available we will send you an email message.

I've signed up for E-Statements and I'm not receiving my notification that my E-Statement is ready.

If you are not receiving your notification that's because your email address is incorrect. To check your email address please Sign-On to your Focus Online Banking and click options in the upper right hand corner of your screen. If your email address is correct and you're not receiving the notification it's most likely do to spam filters.

How can I reconcile my E-Statement?

When you access your E-Statement there's a link that says reconcile in blue. If you click this link you will be provided with an electronic version of the reconciliation that is found on the back of our paper statements.

How long are E-Statements retained?

Your account statements will become available through E-Statements incrementally each month after you enroll in the Service. Statements will be available for sixteen (16) months and thereafter the oldest statement will be deleted when the most recent statement becomes available through the service.

How do I cancel E-Statements?

You may withdraw your consent to receive E-Statements by accessing the "Mailbox" button on the main page of Focus Online Banking and sending us a secure email letting us know that you would like to terminate the service.

What is SafeBank?

SafeBank is a multi-layer, high-level security program for our online banking customers. SafeBank begins with the Sign-On process, in addition to your Sign-On ID and password, to protect your personal account information while you bank online.

What does this mean to me?

The first time you Sign-On, you will be automatically guided through the simple process of providing responses to a few security questions. This process will be short and only need to be completed once. SafeBank will provide you with assurance that your information is secure at all times. You will be asked to download a digital certificate that uniquely identifies your computer and you will not have to answer security questions with each Sign-On. Registering your personal computer with a certificate tells us it is you, not a hacker from an unknown computer that is trying to access your accounts.

What is a digital certificate?

Digital certificates are security tokens that provide an additional means of proving your identity in electronic transactions, much like a driver’s license does in face-to-face interactions. Digital certificates protect the integrity of the data and provide a behind-the-scenes transparent Sign-On method that won’t inconvenience you.

Why should I do this?

To protect your accounts from computer hackers and identity thieves. Additionally, federal regulators are mandating a second layer of security for online banking.

Should I register this computer?

Registering your personal computer with a digital certificate tells us it is you not a hacker from an unknown computer that is requesting access to your accounts. You should only register computers that you normally access your accounts from. You should not register a public or infrequently used computer.

What if I need or want to use another computer?

If you Sign-On to a different computer other than the one you initially registered with SafeBank, such as your computer at work, you will need to respond to the security questions again so we can verify your identity, then you can download a digital certificate and access your accounts.

You should only register computers that you normally access your accounts from. If you need to Sign-On from a public computer (library, Internet café, etc.), you will be allowed access by answering your security questions. However, you should never download a digital certificate for a public computer.

What is a public computer?

A computer that is accessible to the general public. Examples are computers in libraries, school computer labs, hotels, airport and cafes. Please do NOT install certificates on these types of computers.

When will you ask me a security question?

When signing on from an unregistered computer (such as a public or infrequently used computer) or when you Sign-On from a computer that you have not yet registered.

How do I use a digital certificate?

Upon signing on you may be prompted to select a digital certificate to send to us. Select the digital certificate for the Sign-On ID you are logging in with. In some cases, your web browser may automatically select the certificate for you. If you do not select a digital certificate, you will be prompted to answer a security question.

Frequently Asked Questions

System and Web Browser Information

How to Sign Up for or Sign onto Focus Online Banking

General Questions

How to Pay Your Bills Using Focus Online Banking

E-Statements

SafeBank