It is important that we point out... if you have attempted to dispute your ChexSystems report... and if they've responded back with documentation that the information is accurate, and true... then they are under no obligation to remove it.

If it has been verified and re-verified and if the other suggestions in the previous section of this guide were un-successful then you still have options… even if you are listed in ChexSystems.

Obviously resolving ChexSystems problems will much more difficult for the person who truly did go around town passing bad checks... then it will be for the person who simply made one, or two mistakes with overdrafts.

But in either case your options are far greater if you can show that the dispute with the bank that reported you has been paid and settled. And we will repeat again… try to first negotiate a letter from the bank instructing ChexSystems to remove the report upon proof of payment… before you pay them

But if the bank won’t give you such a letter… and if you legitimately owe the money, you should still consider paying it. That bank is supposed to let ChexSystems know that the amount was paid. ChexSystems will then add a notation on your report, for everyone to see, that the amount has been paid.

However you should always insure that you get a receipt, or statement directly from that bank indicating the amount has been paid. Banks do not always follow through with notifying ChexSystems.

You will have your own copy of evidence that the amount has been paid. You can then make sure you notify ChexSystems yourself, and/or always have a copy to present. Some banks will accept people for checking accounts once the debt has been resolved.

We know of a very same bank that had the dispute, and reported the customer, take this very same customer back some year or so after the account was closed and reported to ChexSystems. She didn’t even have to go to another bank.

However usually it will be another bank other the one that originally reported you... that will grant you the new account.

Here are a few suggestions that have successfully worked in getting
people new checking account despite being in ChexSystems:

1) Think about the very first time you sat across from that bank rep and he or she told you they will not open an account for you because you have a report in ChexSystems.

You were probably a little stunned, shocked, and taken by surprise because you probably forgotten about the original incident with the other bank that reported you, and you never heard of ChexSystems before. The bottom line is… it caught you totally unprepared and off guard.

That is no longer the case… after reading the information on this website... now you are much more educated about ChexSystems and how the system works. Now you have obtained a copy of your ChexSystems report.

People have gotten new checking accounts by simply going on the offense, and being direct and upfront with the bank.

Think about how you felt when you found out something… from someone else… about a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. that you felt that person should have been the one to tell you about it themselves.

That same concept applies when you are conducting business with people.

Before… you applied for an account with the bank like everything was fine… then they went through their normal routine process of opening a new account, like everything was fine… they did a routine ChexSystems check and, found out everything wasn’t fine. They were surprise by negative information they found about you. Their entire attitude, and tone immediately change.

Now you are going to tell them that you would like to do business with their bank. You would like to open a savings account, and a checking account. You would like to set up direct deposit from your job. And you would like to sign up and utilize their online bill pay services.

Then you say “I do want to let you know that I had prior dispute with XYZ Bank that resulted in them reporting me to ChexSystems. I feel it was always their error… but we have worked it out… everything has been settled and paid. I have here a copy of the ChexSystems report, and a letter from XYZ bank indicated the matter was paid”

This has worked for many people. Simply being upfront, honest, and eliminating the element of surprise. Now when they check ChexSystems they will be doing so to mainly to confirm the information you’ve given them is as you stated.

You can do this one of two ways. You can contact the bank by phone, get the name of the person you need to meet with and make an appointment with them in person.

When you meet with him/her, you need to have with you a copy of your ChexSystems report, and a letter from the bank that reported you stating that everything has been paid.

We all know that people respond much differently in person. It is much more easier to blow you off over the phone.

However the flip side is, if you do speak with a manager by phone and let them know everything as stated above, and they say no… it’s much easier to just go on to the next call. And… If you find someone that will go ahead and make an appointment with you. The chances are pretty good that they are going to do business with you if your information checks out like you say.

2) As stated before in this guide, part of the reasons some banks are automatically saying no when a ChexSystems inquiry is returned showing a negative report may not have much to do with whether they truly feel you are potential risk, or will commit some act of fraud like passing bad checks around town, or anything like that.

Checking accounts in general, especially those that consistently maintain a daily low average balance simply do not make a lot of money for banks.

So ChexSystems shows them there was an incident before... maybe you just overlooked a check... maybe it was that other bank’s error... Maybe you won't have any more issues... who knows. But either way it's just not really worth it to them.

That is how they think. They assume that you, like the overwhelming majority of people in America, will probably just get direct deposit for paydays, and your account will be at or near zero before the next payday.

They are really using ChexSystems as their excuse; to weed out people whom they assume will be more administrative costs (processing checks) than they’re worth. That is the attitude of many banks.

But as with everything in life... there is always an exception. And that is a particular bank branch that... for whatever reasons... needs to get more business.

They are very easy to spot. They are the ones going out of their way to greet you the second you step foot in the door.

You are only there because you happen to have a check that happened to be drawn on from that bank, and you need to cash it. But the tellers are putting you through the third degree before they simply cash the check. "Have you considered opening a account with us today" "You know there's a $5 fee to cash this... you can avoid that by opening an account with us today." "We're giving $25 certificates to each person that opens an account with us this week"

You know you've experienced this before and simply thought it was very annoying. Now you will immediately recognize it as an opportunity!

We don't want to use the word desperate... but obviously they are extremely overly anxious to get your business.

This is a bank that is very likely to overlook your ChexSystems record!

It is exactly the way Angela got her new bank account.

She was fortunate in that her weekly paycheck is drawn on from a bank that has local branches. So she did not have to use a check-cashing store, even though the bank was still charging $5 to cash a check for non-account holders.

What she would do is go to a different branch every payday to cash her check. This particular branch was small… someone was standing at the door shaking everyone’s hand that entered. She says the teller made 4 attempts at getting her to open an account before she cashed the check.

What Angela did was took the teller’s business card, cashed the check, and then within 10 minutes called the bank on her cell phone from the car.

To her it seemed like the person she spoke with was either the branch manager, or maybe the number two person in that location.

She essentially said: I was just in the bank and the teller asked me about opening an account. I’m interested in opening a checking account. I’m also interested in some your investment products like maybe a certificate of deposit in the near future, but for now I would like to open a checking account. I had a dispute with another bank over some fees I felt they charged me in error… it resulted in them closing my account and reporting me to ChexSystems. I’m simply looking for someone that’s willing to at least take a look at the documentation I have which shows it was the banks error.

To make a long story short that manager made an appointment with Angela for later on the same day. She looked at the letters Angela had wrote to the bank she had the dispute with, and they opened a checking account for her.

While Angela was sitting there, she told us she couldn’t help but notice a little sign on that manager desk that said We Verify All New Accounts with ChexSystems. It was sitting right in front of her.

Angela says she observed everything the manager did while opening her account and to her knowledge SHE NEVER MADE AN INQUIRY TO CHEXSYSTEMS.

More evidence that banks have the discretion to do what ever they choose regarding ChexSystems; including not using it at all.

We have received similar stories from people within this same scenario of a bank branch that seemed overly aggressive in trying to get them to open an account.

3) Once again…. Often times it is not really about whether or not they feel you would truly be a risk to the bank. The bottom line is that checking accounts, and savings account do not make a lot of money for banks. (Unless people consistently maintain a high balance)

So… what if it is one of those banks that are not that concern about getting new basic checking account business. Or maybe they did ask you about opening an account and they seem a little anxious… but it turns out they weren’t really that anxious?

GIVE THEM SOME INCENTIVE! Give them something that will make it more worth it to them. Something… that will increase your value to them as a customer.

What is the main thing that banks are always promoting? Advertising to the point where they are almost salivating to get people to do…. Certificate of Deposits (CD’s)

Approach the bank exactly how was stated in either of the previous suggestions #1 or #2. If the result is unsuccessful, then you play your next hand.

You state to them that you are willing to take out a Certificate of Deposit with your bank. Your bank can view the CD as security in returned for a checking account.

The higher the amount for the CD the better… the longer you invest it the better. Remember… you are not loosing this money. It is an investment for you. And it is the kind of products that makes more money for the bank. I would consider a minimum of $500 for at least 1 year. Or find out what that bank’s minimum Certificates of Deposits are.

Also you should seriously consider exactly what you specifically need that checking account for. If you can conduct most of your business with an ATM card that is accepted everywhere (even McDonalds), and you can use their online bill pay for utilities, car insurance, mortgage payment etc. Then you may only need to write one or two checks per month –for example: You rent from a private owner landlord who can’t accept credit card, or debit card payments and you just really don’t want to purchase a money order.

In this instance you can volunteer to place limits on your checking account like only a 3 check per month limit, etc.

OR… some banks online bill pay service will actually cut checks to the payee. For instance: That same landlord who can’t accept credit cards, or debit card payments and you just really don’t want to purchase a money order… Some banks online bill pay service will debit the money directly from your account and mail him a paper check.

We cannot emphasize it enough!!! The world in which we live in now it is no longer an absolute necessity to have a checkbook, paper checks, waiting for them to clear, etc. etc. All you really need is the account, online bill pay service, and an ATM card!

If you can sit at your computer and send people checks directly from your account… do you really have to have to have the ability to write paper checks?

If you are able to show the bank that potential risk will be eliminated because you will not even have the ability to write checks, wouldn’t that improve the chances of the bank giving you an account?

The more value as a customer you can show them, versus the less risk, as a customer you can show them will greatly improve your chances of getting that account.


For Example:

· Direct Deposit
[money is automatically placed into your account]

· Use of their bank’s Online Bill pay Service
[which they make money from... and you can’t do no more that your actual balance at the time... little possibility of overdrafts]

· A 1year Certificate of Deposit
[which they make money from AND can view as security deposit]

· No checks at all, OR… restrictions on the amount of checks you can write
[which they should view as something that will eliminate potential problems from occurring]

The combination of all of this should be enough to get you that new checking account opened.

If not… then he or she simply is not a very smart businessperson, and you should simply try elsewhere. Somebody is going to say yes!

Remember if it is one of these huge mega banks with lots of branches in your area, you should try each branch individually. Talk with the manager for that specific branch.

Federal Tax ID Number:

Here is another piece of advice that continues to work for countless people who have open new checking accounts despite being currently listed in ChexSystems.

Open a business checking account using a Federal Tax ID number instead of your Social Security number.

Banks access your ChexSystems record by your SSN, Name and Address… if any one of those things does not match you can argue that the record does not belong to you… you never lived at that address… there must be some kind of mistake.

But the focus of this section is…. if you used a newly issued Federal Tax Id Number instead of your social…. There will never be a match at all!

Your objective is to create a simple business name… get a business license from your city… get a federal tax id issued to you…. Then take the city license, the copy of the tax id, and open a business account!

The bank will make copies of your license, and tax id, and usually open an account for you without any problems. Of course they are going to require some personal id of whom you are. You will give them with your driver license.

Hopefully you are in a state that does not use your social as the driver license number. If you are… then you should get that changed immediately! Regardless of this ChexSystems guide… in today’s world it is simply not a good ideal to have your social security number plastered on anything that you frequently use. Most states realize this an offer an alternative number for your driver’s license. Just check with your state’s DMV

Also it is good to bring with you to the bank a utility bill or phone bill, etc. that has your name and address on it.

Many banks will not ask you for your social security number. However all banks policies are different. If you are asked for your social… don’t panic… just simply say that you are looking to open your business account with only your business tax id number… you are very reluctant to give out your social because you have been a victim of identity theft.

We have received feedback from numerous people who’ve told us that the banks merely used the social to complete their forms… and simply typed whatever they told them the SSN was into the computer. They never asked for any documentation of the SSN. (Hint)

You gave them a copy of a city business license for verification. You gave them a copy of an IRS Federal Tax ID for verification. You gave them your driver’s license for verification. The rest they simply fill out what you tell them!

You just received your Federal Tax ID… so if they run a ChexSystems inquiry at all… how can there possibly be a match!

Once you have your business account you can use it exactly the same way you use a personal account. Direct Deposit, Online Bill Pay, etc. etc.

We do want to point out that for most business accounts banks usually require a higher maintained balance than with personal accounts to avoid a monthly fee of usually $10 to $15 per month.

Also you want to make sure that your check list your name prominently first…. Then in smaller letters the name of the business:

John Doe
dba: Dog Sitters

Somewhere, USA 112334

This makes it appear a lot more like a personal check.

In most cities across the country, getting a business license is incredibly easy as long you don’t pick something with a lot of rules, regulations, and requirements like child care, notary public, real estate agent, etc. etc. Unless of course you truly are in that business.

Your main goal is to get a checking account as easily as possible. So don’t want to form a Corporation, or LLC or anything like that.

Just a simple Sole Proprietorship. Something like Alterations, Grass Cutting Service, Basket Weaver… who cares. Just check with your city, pay their nominal fee, and get your business license.

Then you want to go online at: https://sa.www4.irs.gov/sa_vign/newFormSS4.do

Or call 1-800-829-0115 to apply for Federal Tax ID number also called Employer ID Number (EIN). They ask a few questions over the phone and give you your number. It’s very easy… less than 5 minutes on the phone. The hardest part is waiting the 10 to 15 days for the confirmation letter to arrive in the mail.

They may tell you that if you are a sole proprietor with no employees the law does not require you to have a tax id number. But you know why you are really getting one. Just say you plan on hiring employees in the future.

Obviously you don’t want to attempt to open a bank account until you have the documentations in your hand.

Again… take the bank your city’s business license, the letter the IRS sends you that states your name, your business name, and the tax id number, your driver license, another document for identification, and it’s your choice what you want to tell them if they ask for a social security number. (Just make sure you will remember what you told them for future references)

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