Finding Local Second Chance Checking Accounts
Everyone who has ever ended up on the ChexSystems list has tried to find a local bank that does not use ChexSystems. Most people can’t find one. Here are a few tips for finding local second chance checking accounts.
First, before you go any further in your search for a local second chance checking account, make sure you consider whether a prepaid debit card (such as the excellent AccountNow Prepaid Visa Card) may be a better choice. Debit card accounts often provide more features than a regular checking account, and may even be less expensive.
If you would prefer to have a local bank account, here are a few tips. It can be very difficult to find a bank that does not use ChexSystems, but there are some banks that will still let you open an account.
- Find out if you qualify for membership in a Credit Union. Many Credit Unions do not use ChexSystems. Other Credit Unions do use ChexSystems, but are more liberal in their new account opening rules. If you do qualify for membership in a Credit Union, check them out.
- Pick up your phone book, and see if there are any local savings banks that are near you (not national banks — just check for local banks, like a community savings bank). Pick up the phone and give them a call — don’t give them your full name, just ask what their requirements are for opening a new checking account. Ask them whether they use ChexSystems in their new account opening process. If they don’t, then stop in and fill out an application.
- A few of our readers have successfully opened accounts at Bank of America using their online bank account application form (these are people who were denied accounts when they went into their local BofA branch). Others have had success with the excellent Bank of Internet (they offer a full fledged checking account with awesome rates!). Try filling out an application over the Internet, and see what happens. At the very worst, you’ll get denied. At the best, you’ll get a new second chance checking account.
Good luck on your quest to get back to banking!
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