Just applied for an apartment - Why does a third-party need to connect to my bank account?

Hello, as the title states, I've just applied for an apartment and received an email response letting me know that a third-party vendor will be in touch to request pay statements and connect to my bank account. In the past, i've only been asked for pay stubs...never bank account information. Is this normal?

This is what it said:

"A company called xyz will reach out by email or text to request pay statements and connect to your bank account to make verification easy."

Any input would be much appreciated!