Hello gradyr95,
Thanks for reaching out to us here. I can understand your concerns with having to complete security steps when accessing the banking feature in QuickBooks Self-Employed. However, this is required to ensure your data is safe from fraudulent activity. Intuit QuickBooks is dedicated to guarding your data, from multi-factor authentication to anti-fraud technology. Follow this link to learn more about Intuit Security practices; https://security.intuit.com/security-practices.
With regards to duplicated transactions, click here to exclude or delete them. This will ensure your account remains balanced and aligned.
Feel free to reach back out, with any other questions. We would be happy to help!