🏦 If You've Ever Had a Checking Account Closed
If you've ever had a checking account closed, bounced a check, or left any unpaid negative balances in a bank account associated with you, that info has been tracked and recorded in specialty banking reports and is being sold to your creditors when you apply for loans, bank accounts, and more.
Banks and credit unions don't just pull your credit score when you apply for a new account. They also pull these bank screening reports that show if you've had overdrafts, unpaid fees, check fraud, or accounts closed "for cause."
These reports can be why you get denied for a bank account, a credit card, forced to pay high fees up front, or stuck with "second chance" or Cash App-type banking only, even if your credit is perfect.
What These Reports Track
- Negative checking and savings history
- Overdrafts that were never paid back
- Accounts closed for cause
- Returned checks, bounced payments
- Fraud alerts shared between big banks
Full List: Banking & Check Screening Reports
1. ChexSystems
Focus: Overdrafts, unpaid negative balances, accounts closed for cause, fraud flags.
Banks don't pull your credit when you open an account. They pull a different report entirely. ChexSystems, Early Warning, and TeleCheck decide if you can have a checking account, and most people don't even know they exist.
- Website: www.chexsystems.com
- Phone: 800-428-9623
2. Early Warning Services (EWS)
Focus: Big bank internal fraud and overdraft data. BofA, Wells Fargo, Chase, etc., share this between each other.
- Website: www.earlywarning.com
- Phone: 800-325-7775
3. Certegy Check Services
Focus: Returned checks, check verification, fraud detection. Big with retailers.
- Website: www.askcertegy.com
- Phone: 866-740-3276
4. TeleCheck Services
Focus: Bounced checks, returned checks, check fraud. Also used by stores at checkout.
- Website: www.firstdata.com/telecheck
- Phone: 800-366-2425
5. CrossCheck, Inc.
Focus: Large personal checks for big purchases (auto dealers, repairs, home services).
- Website: www.cross-check.com
- Phone: 800-843-0760
Tips
- Pull all 5 banking reports (free)
- Look for old closed accounts, overdrafts, or flagged fraud you might not even know about
- Dispute any errors in writing
- Keep your balances clean and avoid overdrafts to keep these files clean going forward
The Five Banking Reports To Know
- ChexSystems. The biggest one. Tracks closed accounts, overdrafts, returned checks. Get your free report at chexsystems.com. You're entitled to one per year under federal law.
- Early Warning Services. Used by major banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America. Tracks fraud and account closures. Free report at earlywarning.com.
- TeleCheck. Used by retailers and check-cashing services. Tracks check-writing history. Free report at telecheck.com.
- Certegy. Another retail check verification service. Free report available.
- LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Tracks broader financial behavior across multiple services. Pull your file annually to see what's reporting.
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