You can be denied a bank account for suspected fraud, a closed account with a negative balance, too many returned checks, excessive overdrafts, or too many inquiries. If you're denied, you can review your reports and look into second-chance accounts.
Reasons You May Have Been Denied a Checking Account
Too many past bounced checks or overdrafts. Unpaid fees or negative balances from a current or closed account. Suspected fraud or identity theft. Too many accounts applied for over a short amount of time.
When can I be denied a checking account based on my past banking history? If a bank or credit union denied your application for a checking account, it may be because a checking account reporting company has negative information in its files about your checking history.
You can be blacklisted by ChexSystems for a variety of reasons, but they all relate to your record of handling, or mishandling, a bank account. Commonly, people are blacklisted by ChexSystems for writing bad checks, failing to pay overdraft fees, or rating suspicion of fraudulent behavior.
Consumers can request a ChexSystems report over the phone by calling 1-800-428-9623. Callers will then verify personal information through ChexSystem's voice messaging system.
Usually five years. Although federal regulations allow ChexSystems to keep records for up to seven years, the agency keeps them for five. If you review your report and see any incorrect or out-of-date information, you can also submit a dispute on ChexSystems' website and with your financial institution.
There's no hard and fast rule that says you can't open a bank account if you owe a bank money. But since many banks check credit reports and bank consumer behavior reports in order to avoid risky customers, doing so can often be difficult unless you open an account geared toward people in that situation.
Varo Bank is an online-only bank that doesn't use ChexSystems. So you can open a new checking account without worrying about the bank running your ChexSystems report. Varo requires no minimum deposit and has no monthly fees.
How long does the closed account stay on ChexSystems file? Our current practice is to retain record of reported information for a period of five years from the report date unless the source of the information requests its removal or ChexSystems becomes obligated to remove it under applicable law or policy.
When you apply to open a checking or savings account, most financial institutions will run your name in the ChexSystems database to see if you have a report. Some financial institutions may deny everyone who has a ChexSystems report, while others may only deny people with certain types of activity.
A few banks and financial companies backed by banks offer second chance checking nationwide: Chime (account name: Spending Account, available online) Green Dot Bank (account name: GoBank, available online and at Walmart stores). LendingClub (account name: Essential Checking, available online).
A second-chance checking account is an account where the bank or credit union either doesn't check your ChexSystems report or is willing to look past your previous missteps.
All you have to do is ask! You can contact Chexsystems by phone at (800) 428-9623 or you can request a copy on their website. Once you have your report in hand, you can review it to learn exactly why your score is so low.
What Happens When a Person Is Blacklisted? Blacklisting is intended to deprive a person of the ability to make a living. Professional ties are cut. The person's reputation and status in the community are damaged.
You can get a checking account if you were blacklisted by ChexSystems. Some banks and credit unions offer so-called "second chance" checking accounts. These accounts might come with monthly fees, but you can move to a regular, less costly account after a year or two of good account management.
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.
Chime is a Second Chance Banking Option with No Monthly Fees
Add in monthly maintenance fees, rising ATM fees, and expensive overdraft fees and banking can be a complete non-starter. Chime offers a second chance bank account with no unnecessary fees.
If there's an item on your ChexSystems report that you can't have removed manually, it usually takes five years for it to fall off your report on its own. Unfortunately, this may limit your options to second-chance bank accounts and prepaid debit cards.
Your ChexSystems score is a score that banks use to determine whether to qualify you for a new account. It's also called a QualiFile score and it's different from your credit score, which is what lenders use when approving you for new credit.