Getting managed out of your bank can feel like the end of the world. Whether your account was cancelled due to bad credit, late payments, or suspected fraud, it can be extremely difficult to get accepted with another bank.
The majority of banks and building societies use a checking system – usually ChexSystems – which means the bank can screen your checking history; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Negative items on your checking history can stay there for up to five years, but nobody has that time to wait around for a bank to accept them.
Thankfully, there is a way forward, even if you have a bad checking history. Some banks don’t use ChexSystems, which could be the clean slate you need. To find out more, head on over to Crediful.
SunTrust Bank
| Pros | Cons |
| Fees can be waived | Some customers claim they do check your history |
| Quick and easy check deposit | |
| Business accounts available | |
| Super convenient mobile app |
Even if you’ve got a bad checking history, you can still afford to be fussy when choosing a second chance bank. SunTrust is a rated bank with a variety of checking accounts available, and all come with their own benefits.
For most checking accounts with SunTrust, there are monthly maintenance fees of anything between $0 and $20, but these fees can be waived if you meet certain conditions.
To waive the monthly maintenance fee, all you have to do is make at least ten bank transactions a month and have a minimum of $500 in monthly deposits – or maintain a $500 balance without going under.
To open either an Essential Checking Account or an Advantage Checking Account, you need a minimum balance of £100, which is a little higher than what other checking accounts require.
CHIME
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly rated bank | No CHIME branches |
| 38,000+ fee free ATMs | |
| Mobile app and debit card with no credit check | |
| Zero hidden bank fees |
Looking for a bank that’ll accept you and your credit history can be tough, but CHIME can come to the rescue with their highly rated checking account.
Whether you’re a personal customer or a business customer, CHIME is certainly a bank worth looking into. One of the drawing points to the bank is the lack of charges.
There are no hidden bank fees or charges, meaning no overdraft fees, no maintenance charges, and no minimum balance fees. This certainly gives CHIME an edge on its competitors!
Thousands of Americans love CHIME’s customer-oriented approach, and their convenient and easy-to-use mobile app. On the app, you can perform pretty much all banking services, from checking balances to depositing checks.
Green Dot
| Pros | Cons |
| Prepaid debit cards available with no ChexSystem | Multitude of fees can be daunting |
| Free online purchases | |
| Fees can be waived | |
| Perfect if you have poor credit |
Bad credit and a negative banking history don’t mean the end of the world – Green Dot offers a prepaid debit card without using ChexSystems.
The reloadable debit card is a great way of banking but can unfortunately rack up some charges – it can cost you $4.95 to reload the card, and it can also cost you to make store purchases.
Online purchases are free to make, which is convenient in 2020 where you can buy almost anything online.
There’s also a monthly fee of $7.95 to keep the account open, but this can be waived if you deposit at least $1000 into the account during the charging period prior to the charge.
United Bank
| Pros | Cons |
| No monthly maintenance fees for a standard account | Can only apply in certain states |
| NO use of ChexSystems | $50 deposit to open account |
| Chance for fees to be waived | |
| Option for cashback rewards scheme |
If you live in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington DC, then you’re one of the lucky few that can open an account with United Bank.
To open your account, you just need to deposit $50, which is reasonable considering there’s zero use of ChexSystems. There are also no monthly service fees for a standard United Bank checking account, which is always good to hear.
If you decide to upgrade the account, it can easily be done for $10 a month – but the fee can also be waived if you make 15 purchases on a monthly basis OR have $500 or more in regular deposits.
Once the account is upgraded, you’ll receive a load of benefits – from discounts of theme parks and movies to cashback rewards from your direct debits.
