Online Banking FAQs

Online banking is FREE to view account balances and history. Contact us regarding fees for additional services.

Retail Customers can complete our Online Enrollment or visit any of our branch locations. Business customers must visit one of our branch locations.

You can access your accounts ANYTIME online 365 days of the year.

Mercantile Online Banking has a 60-minute time out feature. If the system has been inactive for over 60 minutes, you will be required to login again.

Please click on the link to read our Security Statement.

Download our Login Guide here

There is no limit to how many different computers you can use to log in to your bank accounts. If you log in from a new computer or a public terminal, you will just need to go through the extra step of requesting a new Secure Access Code.

There is no limit on how many people can log in to our website from the same computer. The Secure Access Code that you register with us will distinguish you from other users accessing their online accounts from the same computer.

If someone tries to log in using a stolen Login ID and password, we will recognize they are logging in from an unregistered computer and ask them to request a Secure Access Code. Since you are the one who provided the email address and/or cell phone number to receive the code, they will not be able to login.

If you forget your Login ID, please contact us. We will need to verify your identity before providing you with your Login ID.

If you have unsuccessfully tried to login and have been warned that one more unsuccessful entry will lock your account, you may choose the �Forgot Password� option when you login. This will enable you to reset your password to something you can remember without the risk of locking your account. If you choose to try to login one more time and fail, you will be required to contact Online Support to unlock your account.

For your security you are required to contact Online Support to unlock your account.

Once you have successfully logged into the system, you can voluntarily change your Login ID and/or password through the Settings > Security Preferences menu.

The Online Banking System allows you 3 logon attempts to the system before it will lock you out. When you login, you can click the box for "Forgot Password" and you will be sent a new Secure Access code to proceed. Once you have successfully entered that code, you can enter a new password. If you are locked out, please contact the Mercantile eBanking Department at 800.453.8700.

Yes, you have the ability to change your password. The new password must be 8 to 20 characters in length, must contain at least 1 alphabetic character and 1 number and may not contain spaces.

We strongly recommend that you create passwords that contain special characters. What are Special Characters? Special characters are any of the symbols that appear on the keyboard. You typically have to hold down the 'shift key' when using Special Characters. (Examples of Special Characters: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )) The password is case sensitive. The system will remember 10 previously used passwords. Personal account holders can go to Settings, and then Security Preferences.

Your password will expire every 180 days, and the system will prompt you to change your password automatically.

• Use a password that is at least 8 characters in length, but no more than 20 characters
• Use a password with mixed-case alphabetic characters and at least 1 number
• Use a password with some non-alphabetic characters, e.g., digits or special characters
• Use hybrid passwords, e.g., substitute numbers or non-alphabetic characters for letters. For example, $u77M3r instead of summer. Please DO NOT use this example as your password.

No, it is only a temporary access code. Never enter a secure access code on the login page as a password or as an existing password when instructed to change your password or establish a new password.

You can view the following accounts online:

• Checking
• Savings
• Credit Cards (Mercantile Credit Cards Only)
• Loans
• CD's
• IRA's
• HSA's

The balances are current as of 7:00am Funds Manager transactions will be posted between 11:00am and Noon.

2 Years

You can access your account balances anywhere you have access to an internet connection. We strongly recommend users to use computers from TRUSTED locations ONLY. We DO NOT recommend using computers at public cyber cafes as an example. When you access your accounts from a different computer we take additional security s steps to verify your identity by asking you to request a new Secure Access Code to proceed.

Mercantile's Online Banking system allows users to download account activity to their Quicken® software via Quicken WebConnect. Online Banking also supports other export file formats such as Quickbooks® and comma delimited. You can get to this option by going into the details of your account and choose Export or by choosing History Export from the main menu under Services.

Mercantile Bank balance information is available in 'real time' within the Online Banking service, meaning that items are shown as they are received and processed during the day. It is important to note, however, that items are subject to verification and possible adjustment.

You will receive a Login ID from Mercantile Bank. You will have the ability to change it after logging in to the system. Personal customers go to Settings and then Security Preferences.

Personal account holders can go to Settings and then select Profile.  You have the ability to change the address for all accounts, or to specify which accounts this change applies to.

Customers are assigned generic names to their accounts when they are initially signed up for Online Banking. (Ex. Checking, Savings.) You can change the name of the account from Settings and then Account Preferences.

When triggered, secure message and email alerts are delivered immediately after all of our transactions have been processed. Phone and text message alerts are delivered at the time you select on any day that the alert is triggered.

No, alerts are triggered at processing time each day. For example, if an alert value is triggered during the day on Monday, the alert is generated during our processing cycle Monday night. A secure message or email will be sent immediately after processing, while a phone notification or text message will be sent at the time you selected on Tuesday.

An email notification, because it is delivered over public email, contains no detail on the alert, only that it has been triggered. On the other hand, a phone notification will provide more alert detail, and may also allow you to enter your voice banking credentials to access your account information on the same call.

If you miss the alert call, our alert system will leave a message on voice mail. If you believe you did not receive a phone call, please check your message mailbox in the  Messages section of the left menu to confirm receipt. If there is not an alert in the secure mailbox, confirm that the alert is enabled. If you still believe you did not receive an alert, please contact us.

Note: Email, phone, and text message alerts are a convenience and should not be used to manage critical account details or appointments, as they are not 100% reliable delivery channels. If triggered, secure messages within the online banking system are very reliable, as they are sent within the online banking system.

Yes, you can edit an alert and clear the Enable this alert check box to render the alert inactive.

Settings > Alerts

You can set up security alerts to set up notifications that let you know when certain security events happen. By default, you may already have some alerts selected that you may not deselect. If you enter multiple delivery channels (email, phone, and/or text if applicable), you will get the same alert in all selected channels.

Yes, security alerts are event driven and are sent in real time; therefore, you may not enter a time at which you would like to be notified.

Yes, you can change the default display name for any account by navigating to the Settings > Account Preferences and entering your preferred nickname for some or all of your accounts. Your chosen nickname will be used instead of the default name or account number throughout the online banking system.

Yes, if you are a business account holder and have access to manage user rights via the Commercial > User Management menu, you can clear the View check box for the accounts you wish to hide. You will need to sign off and log back in before the change will take effect. If you do not have access to User Management, you can call us to remove or hide accounts for your user ID.

Yes, you can change the display order by navigating to Settings > Account Preferences and entering your preferred account display order. Lower order numbers will be displayed before higher order numbers within each group of accounts (i.e. checking, savings, loan, etc.).

The Oldest Transaction Available information for the selected account displays at the bottom of the Account History page.

The default amount of history displayed for a selected account is 50 items. This default amount, by number of items or number of historical days, can be changed for each account in the Account Preferences page.

There is no association for the file type to the application. The easiest way to create the association is to save the download file to your desktop the first time, right-click on the file and choose Open With. This allows you to select Quicken or Quickbooks from a list, depending on the downloaded file type. The next time you download your history, the program should launch automatically.

This behavior is intentional to minimize download time. When you choose to export your data, the time it would take to display the data on the page is generally unnecessary. If you wish to display the data first, click Display Results and Submit to first show the data, then click Export to File to complete the export.

The Activity Center contains all transactions initiated via online banking, but does not include transactions made via other means, like ATM or debit/credit card transactions. This page also shows the status of each electronic transaction as it moves from a drafted status to approved, then processed.

In contrast, the Account Details page is a record of processed and cleared transactions against your account from all sources, not just online banking. Additionally, account history does not include transactions that have been drafted/approved/canceled via online banking, but only those that have already cleared or will clear your account the next processing day.

Yes, if you have been entitled to see other users� online activity instead of just your own.

The Tracking ID is a unique identifier of each transaction on our system and provides you a way to easily reference a transaction and communicate with our support staff. Please use Tracking IDs in any communication to us.

If you want to send us a message regarding that transaction, you can choose "Transaction Inquiry."

When you login to Online Banking, select the Statements and Notices link within the Accounts section. You will then need to enter a code to proceed.

Make sure you have allowed pop-ups for our site. It is likely that the pop-up box is being blocked by a pop-up blocker or a toolbar pop-up blocker. You can disable the pop-up blocker or add our site as an allowed site.

Yes. You can order checks online when you go to the "Services" section from the left menu and choose check reorder.

You may be looking at a substitute check. Check 21 (The Check Clearing Act of the 21st Century) became effective October 28th, 2004.

Check 21 is a federal law that is designed to enable banks to handle more checks electronically, which should make check processing faster and more efficient.

Banks can use the electronic picture and payment information and transmit to other banks for payment or use the information to create a paper "substitute check".

Banks began to exchange electronic pictures and payment information with other banks beginning October 28th, 2004.

A substitute check is a paper copy of the front and back of the original check printed in accordance with very specific standards.

For more information on Check 21, visit the Federal Reserve Board's web site, or contact any of our banking offices.

Select a transaction from the history screen. When the check image appears, choose the Printer icon.

When you make a purchase using your Mercantile ATM/Debit Card, some merchants place a $1.00 hold on your account for funds verification. Usually, within 3 business days, the merchant will debit the entire amount from your account. The $1.00 hold will drop off and the full amount of your purchase will be debited from your account.

When you make a signature-based purchase using your debit card, the merchant is allowed to place a pre-authorized hold on your account to secure funds for when the actual transaction clears your account. The pre-authorized hold will disappear from your account once the actual transaction clears. In a few instances, the merchant's hold can stay on the account for up to five days, depending on how the merchant sets up their pre-authorization system.

Certain merchants such as restaurants, hotels, airlines, gas stations and car rental agencies can place a pre-authorization on your account to secure funds. In the case of the restaurant, they added a 20% gratuity to your $65 lunch to make room for any tip you might have left the wait staff. When the actual transaction for $65 clears your account, the $78 pre-authorization will be gone.

Mercantile Online Banking offers real-time access to account information. Real-time access means that when you use your debit card for purchases or to withdraw money at the ATM, your transaction will immediately show up in your account. Real-time information enables you to manage your account more effectively.

ACH stands for "Automated Clearing House." This is an electronic payment or deposit that was made to your account.

7:00pm EST is the cutoff time for transactions to be effective the same day. Any transactions after 7:00pm EST, are considered for the next day of business unless a future date is used.

All same day transfers made on business days, Monday through Friday before 7:00 p.m. Eastern will show in your account immediately. All transfers submitted after 7:00 p.m. Eastern or submitted on weekends or bank holidays will be processed on the next business day.

In some cases, we support external transfers to and/or from other financial institutions. Go to Services, Add an External Account.

The transfer will be processed within 2 days of the Transfer Date and the credit to your account will occur on the Transfer Date.

Your funds transfer activity is available in the Activity Center. Any drafted, approved, canceled or processed funds transfers will be displayed. Each transaction has a unique Tracking ID for easy identification.

Note: each recurring instance of the transaction is scheduled only when the previous instance of the transaction has been processed or completed and is displayed under Transaction > Activity Center. Find and click on the instance you wish to cancel and select the Actions link to the right of the transaction. The transaction will be canceled without affecting the other occurrences.

Go to Transactions > Activity Center � click the Actions link to the right of the recurring transaction you wish to cancel and select Cancel the selected transaction from the drop-down list. Click Submit and you will be asked to confirm the cancellation.

Yes, recurring transactions can be modified. For more information, please use the Help option from the main menu within Online Banking.

Mercantile Bill Pay lets you pay your bills online. You can pay virtually anyone in the United States that you would normally pay by check or automatic debit, even if you do not receive bills from the company or person you want to pay.

Mercantile Bill Pay is free of charge for Personal Banking accounts.

Please contact eBanking Support, either by calling us during normal business hours, or by sending a secure message when logged into Online Banking.

A 'Pay From' account can be added by accessing "My Account" and clicking the "Add Account" link located in the pay from account section.

Almost any business or individual with a mailing address within the United States or U.S. territories can be paid using Mercantile Bill Pay. Legal considerations exclude payments to the Internal Revenue Service, or any court-ordered remittance.

You can make a deposit or loan advance to cover the amount of the bill payment. Mercantile Bank also reserves the right to cancel a transaction at any time. Insufficient funds charges may be assessed.

In order to process all forms of remittance, the Mercantile Bill Pay system requires a 5 business day lead-time for paper checks, and a 2 business day lead-time for electronic payments. The "due date" indicated on the system is the date that the bill is scheduled to arrive at its destination.

Online bill payments are guaranteed to arrive on time in the event that the "due date" you requested is at least five business days prior to the actual due date indicated on your bill, and that all pertinent payee information has been submitted correctly to Mercantile Bank.

Online bill payments are guaranteed to arrive on time in the event that the "due date" you requested is at least 5 business days prior to the actual due date indicated on your bill, and that all pertinent payee information has been submitted correctly to Mercantile Bank. In the event that a payment meeting these requirements does not post on time, you will be reimbursed for late fees/finance charges not to exceed $50.

All online payments can be canceled before they are processed (At least 5 business days prior to the requested due date). Once the payment has been processed, additional modifications are not possible.

Your transaction history will allow you to report transactions up to 18 months from the current date.

After you cancel a payment, its status changes to Canceled and it is not processed. Canceled payments appear in the Recent Payments section of the Payment Center and in Bill History. Note: If you cancel an automatic payment, only the selected payment is canceled. You do not cancel any future payments in the payment schedule. To cancel all payments that you've scheduled to be paid automatically, go to Manage My Bills and delete the automatic payment.

Under "My Account", click the "View/Edit personal information" link to review or edit your information.

Contact the Mercantile eBanking Department Monday-Friday from 8:00am - 6:00pm, Saturday from 9:00am - 1:00pm at 800-453-8700.  You can also view or download our Online Banking Guides

Contact the Mercantile eBanking Department at 800.453.8700 to request cancellation of services.

Within MercMoney^®, there will be a question mark icon in the top right of the menu bar . The questions will change according to the section you are in.

You can also check out our MercMoney^® FAQs

If you are already using Mercantile Online Banking, you just need to download the MercMobile® app and login with the same credentials.

Under Settings, there is a Text Enrollment option where you can enable text banking and enter a phone number for your SMS text messages. You must agree to the terms and click submit in order to receive your initial text message with directions.

Please refer to our MercMobile® FAQs.

Merc Personal Payments is the ability via Mercantile Online Banking to make payments anytime, anywhere via the convenience of your desktop or mobile device. All you need is the recipient's email address or cell phone number, no exchange of personal banking information is required. Once you send the payment, the recipient receives a text message and/or email confirming receipt of the funds. The service is powered by PayPal™, a payments network with over 78 million users worldwide. Mercantile Bank of Michigan was the first bank in the U.S. to offer this mobile payments platform using PayPal™.

Visit our Personal Online Services page.

You can login and navigate to your message inbox.

Yes, the transport of your message is SSL encrypted and is never sent through public, unsecured communication channels like email communication.

No, to simplify your mailbox we only show the messages you have received.

Each message is kept for a specified number of days, unless you choose to set a selected message to never expire. Otherwise, all messages will be saved until the date displayed in the Expires On column in the mailbox.

When you submit the request, we receive it immediately; however, depending on the number and type of accounts, it may take 24 to 48 hours to make the changes.

Yes, a change of address request affects the account profile, statement, and other mail and correspondence related to the account. Therefore, we may call you for additional verification, if required.

No, an online request to stop payment on a check or series of checks does not guarantee that the check(s) will be stopped, as the item may have already been processed and posted to your account.

No, the check reorder page does not allow you to change your check style, only to reorder another box of your existing check style

No, this service is for check reorders. For first-time check orders, please contact us directly.