Bank Accounts for Those with Bad Credit
In order to understand why having bad credit may keep you from getting a checking account, you need to know what the Chex System is. The Chex System keeps a record of information that will help financial institutions know the history of how you have managed your banking accounts such as checking, savings, etc. Anytime that you have had an overdrawn checking account and this resulted in the bank closing your account, this will be recorded and reported by this system. These reports can remain on your history for up to five years. You are entitled to a free Chex System consumer report once every 12 months.
It may be difficult to get a checking account if you have bad credit. Most banks run very detailed credit checks to see if they will be able to trust your money management. Keep in mind that every time that a bank runs your credit report, your credit score suffers a loss. So, you will want to minimize the amount of times that you apply for a bad credit bank account in order not to hurt your credit score anymore than what is needed.
You may be able to open a savings account before opening a checking account. Savings accounts are not as risky to banks as are checking accounts, because you cannot get the money out as easily and write checks for or use money that is not there. A good plan of action would be to open a savings account and keep it for six months or more. After you have proved that you can manage your money, the bank may allow you to open a checking account then.
There are other alternatives to having a checking account. There are credit cards available that you can make direct deposits to. The only way you can have money to spend on this card is to make direct deposits to it to cover anything you may spend. Some of these type accounts will help to build your credit every time you use it to pay a bill. If you apply for one of these cards, use one that will help your credit score. After all, this should be your goal anyway.
There is also what is called “second chance bank accounts” available to those with bad credit or bad checking account history. These bank accounts are offered by banks that use non-Chex Systems and will allow consumers to get a checking and savings account no matter what previous problems they have had with other financial institutions. “Second chance bank accounts” offer consumers a new start and a chance to prove they are responsible with their money.
While trying to improve your credit, you need to also work on cleaning up your bank account issues. Always research all your options to make sure you are getting the best offers and more importantly to make sure it is an option that helps to improve your credit.
For More Information on this and other Credit Issues, please go to www.Bad-Credit-Options.com