Turned down for a checking account

[whywhywhy]

Went to open a new checking account today, to avoid any right of offset problems as I start down this path...

....and I got turned down because of my credit score. Which right now is only low becuase my ex-wife hasn't paid an account I co-signed on. Rude personal banker. Treated me like a second class citizen. Because, you know, life is perfect and unexpected things NEVER happen. Could have been his boss one day. Oh well. I love it too, they all say exactly the same thing - "I need to check your credit report just to verify your information" No form to sign. No comment about if your credit score is too low you might not get an account.

Its a hard stance policy, but we did it at the bank I worked for. I've turned down hundreds of people for checking accounts due to that reason, many who were just like me....but, towards the end I started approving almost all of them unless it was a serious deposit account loss to a bank.....whoops! those silly reports are hard to read!


Karma is a...

[lrprn]

Sorry to hear you were turned down, WWW. Try other banks in your area - they all aren't so rigid. Hopefully you'll find someone sympathetic who will do what you used to do and give you a break. Let us know what happens at other local banks, ok?

[whywhywhy]

I went down the street to the next bank and opened an account - no credit check!

[lrprn]

I went down the street to the next bank and opened an account - no credit check!

Great news about the new account, WWW - thanks for sharing!

[cathywhite4495]

I was turned down once years ago and I was so embarrassed that I waited 6 years before trying again! I felt like a queen when I had an actual checkbook again. It's hard to imagine going that long without a checking account!
I'm glad you had success at your next stop.

[treehugger1]

Many banks now offer a "bank card" checking account that is specifically for those who would fail ChexSystems. They do not check credit. Unfortunately,the "bank card" does not have a VISA or Mastercard logo, but will still work with a PIN or signature. The cards allow for daily withdrawals of up to $1000 cash. Most of them require a direct deposit from your employer. The nice thing is that you can still use ACH to pay some bills online. They are incredibly hard to trace unless someone has your pay stub with the routing and account number for the direct deposit. I think Key bank, Wells Fargo, and others are now offering this service. It begs the question that even some of the big national finance/banks in the country know we all may be heading into a credit abyss; they still want our business, LOL. You can also try opening a savings account and after a while, ask for a checking acount where the bank does not check your credit. Many local banks will honor your request. By "local," I mean someplace not in your town, but a several miles away, if judgment collectors are attempting to track down your bank accounts.

[JRScott]

I went down the street to the next bank and opened an account - no credit check!

Glad it all worked out I was going to suggest trying elsewhere on the first post good to see you had already done so

[dscurlock]

Went to open a new checking account today, to avoid any right of offset problems as I start down this path...

....and I got turned down because of my credit score. Which right now is only low becuase my ex-wife hasn't paid an account I co-signed on. Rude personal banker. Treated me like a second class citizen. Because, you know, life is perfect and unexpected things NEVER happen. Could have been his boss one day. Oh well. I love it too, they all say exactly the same thing - "I need to check your credit report just to verify your information" No form to sign. No comment about if your credit score is too low you might not get an account.

Its a hard stance policy, but we did it at the bank I worked for. I've turned down hundreds of people for checking accounts due to that reason, many who were just like me....but, towards the end I started approving almost all of them unless it was a serious deposit account loss to a bank.....whoops! those silly reports are hard to read!


Karma is a...

Most banks do not check credit reports, they do want to know if you had written bad checks, and if you had, then you will get turned down, and usuallyl when you get the bad check taken care of, then you can open a checking account., after all there is no reason why a bank should do a credit report, they can just as easily disable your account if you overdraft, and when you do they charge you like a mad cow disease.

[dscurlock]

Many banks now offer a "bank card" checking account that is specifically for those who would fail ChexSystems. They do not check credit. Unfortunately,the "bank card" does not have a VISA or Mastercard logo, but will still work with a PIN or signature. The cards allow for daily withdrawals of up to $1000 cash. Most of them require a direct deposit from your employer. The nice thing is that you can still use ACH to pay some bills online. They are incredibly hard to trace unless someone has your pay stub with the routing and account number for the direct deposit. I think Key bank, Wells Fargo, and others are now offering this service. It begs the question that even some of the big national finance/banks in the country know we all may be heading into a credit abyss; they still want our business, LOL. You can also try opening a savings account and after a while, ask for a checking acount where the bank does not check your credit. Many local banks will honor your request. By "local," I mean someplace not in your town, but a several miles away, if judgment collectors are attempting to track down your bank accounts.

they have these pre-paid visa debit cards now... looks like the real thing, and you use it just like a debit card, cant be touched or frozen by anyone...this would be great for anything thinking that their accounts are going to be frozen or have been frozen.
they can pre-load their paycheck (some or all) to a visa debt card, and life continues on.