An account aggregator is a go-between; screen scraping is one way software can collect account data. They are not competing alternatives: an aggregator may use an institution’s API, an OAuth handoff, credential-based scraping, or another connection method, depending on the provider and financial institution. To understand what happens when you link an account, look at the specific connection flow, data requested, and way to revoke access—not just the label an app uses.
What is an account aggregator, and what is screen scraping?
An account aggregator is an intermediary that helps retrieve or transmit consumer-authorized financial data between a financial institution and an app or other authorized third party. For example, a budgeting app might use an aggregator to bring together balances from checking, investment, and credit-card accounts held at different institutions. The aggregator is not necessarily the app you use, and it is not a connection method by itself. The Congressional Research Service describes this intermediary role.
Screen scraping is a retrieval technique. Software uses permission and, in some implementations, login credentials to access information displayed in the institution’s customer-facing online interface, then reads and parses that information for use in another app. The CFPB has identified concerns about the security, accuracy, and consumer-control implications of this approach. CFPB background on personal financial data rights
The distinction is important: an aggregator can use screen scraping, but it can also connect through an API or another method. “Aggregator” describes the intermediary; “scraping” describes how data is collected. The Congressional Research Service’s September 2025 brief reported previous estimates that at least 100 million consumers had authorized third parties to access their financial data as of 2024; that is a reported estimate, not a current census. CRS brief
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How do the connection methods work?
Institution-hosted OAuth or API connection
In an OAuth-style flow, you choose the institution and are sent to its site or app to authenticate. The institution then provides a token or another security identifier that allows the authorized connection. In Plaid’s documented OAuth flow, the customer authenticates with the institution and Plaid says it does not store the account credentials. That description applies to Plaid’s flow, not every aggregator’s implementation. Plaid’s explanation of connection flows
An API connection does not automatically mean you will see an institution-hosted OAuth handoff. Plaid notes that some API connections may ask for credentials within Plaid’s authentication flow without storing them. Other non-OAuth flows may ask you to provide credentials to Plaid, which says it stores them to collect data. What you see depends on the institution and the provider’s specific flow. Plaid connection-flow details
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Credential-based screen scraping
With credential-based scraping, you provide login credentials and authorize software to access the institution’s customer-facing account interface. The software reads and parses the displayed information so another app can use it. This may mean credentials are handled by an intermediary rather than entered only at the institution; check the actual screen and the provider’s explanation rather than assuming all connections work alike. The CFPB has discussed concerns including credential proliferation, overcollection, security, data accuracy, and limited consumer control. CFPB background CFPB proposed rule notice
Tokenized scraping may reduce some risks associated with sharing credentials, but it still relies on parsing human-readable information and may access more data than an app needs. A token or API label by itself does not establish what information an app can see or how it will use it. CFPB final-rule materials
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How do the approaches compare?
| What to compare | Institution-hosted OAuth or API flow | Credential-based scraping |
|---|---|---|
| Where you authenticate | In an OAuth flow, you authenticate on the institution’s site or app. Some API flows may request credentials within an aggregator’s flow instead. | You provide credentials for software to access the institution’s customer-facing interface. |
| How access is granted | An OAuth flow can provide the aggregator a token or security identifier. The precise method varies by institution and provider. | Software uses the authorized access to retrieve and parse information displayed in the account interface. |
| What the technology label tells you | “API” alone does not prove that the institution hosts authentication, that credentials are never requested, or what data the app will receive. | Scraping describes retrieval from the interface; it does not by itself tell you which accounts or data categories the app will access. |
| Potential concerns | Review the requested data, the app’s use and retention practices, and how access can be revoked. | The CFPB has raised concerns about credential sharing, overcollection, security, accuracy, and consumer control. Tokenized scraping may address some credential risks, but not all concerns. |
These are general patterns, not guarantees about every connection. Institution support and provider implementation affect the screens and permissions you encounter.
What does the U.S. Section 1033 rule require?
The CFPB’s published Section 1033 rule establishes a framework for consumer-authorized access to covered financial data. Under its authorization provision, a third party must provide an authorization disclosure, certify to its obligations, and obtain the consumer’s express informed consent. If an aggregator assists with authorization procedures, the rule requires identification of the aggregator and its certification; the third party remains responsible for its authorization procedures. 12 CFR § 1033.401 12 CFR § 1033.431
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The compliance schedule is not proceeding on the rule’s original timetable. The CFPB’s implementation page says a court stayed compliance dates on October 29, 2025. It also says the agency issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on August 22, 2025, and planned a notice of proposed rulemaking to extend compliance dates. The rule is published, but its compliance schedule is stayed and possible amendments are under consideration; do not treat its original rollout dates as current deadlines. CFPB implementation status
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you check before linking an account?
- Identify the companies involved. Check which app is requesting access and whether it names an aggregator helping connect your account.
- Check where authentication happens. Notice whether you are redirected to your institution’s own site or app, or asked to enter credentials elsewhere. Do not assume that every API connection uses an institution-hosted login.
- Review the scope. Look at which accounts and data categories are selected, and whether the app explains why it needs them.
- Read the app’s data-use terms. Check how the app says it will use and retain information. A connection method alone does not tell you those practices.
- Find the revocation route. Check how to disconnect the app and whether access can also be managed through your financial institution. The exact controls vary by provider and institution.
The CFPB’s published framework emphasizes authorization disclosures, consent, and identifying an aggregator, but its stayed compliance schedule does not establish that every app currently follows the rule’s procedures. Evaluate the disclosure and controls presented in the connection you are actually using. CFPB implementation status 12 CFR § 1033.401
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