bad day at the bank

[backtoschool]

backtoschool, that's very interesting! i actually went later yesterday to a cu i had forgotten i had an account with (i opened it a million years ago with $5 and never used it since). i asked to revive it. they said my balance was -$5. i thought that was weird, but i gave them $10 and presumably my account is revived (or not, i couldn't get online access with their instructions). maybe they are the culprits here...

Yes, that is very typical of CU's. They probably took the $5 when they received a bk notice or checked your credit and saw it. And a $5 negative balance is enough to put you into chexsystems.

Anyway, as long as you never bounced checks and never paid them, chexsystems will clear any negatives related to your bankruptcy if you send them a copy of your report and a copy of your discharge.

[music12]

but why would they take $5 when i filed for bk? it doesn't make any sense! i never owed them anything.

[music12]

and to answer jadams question: the lady at the bank handed me a piece of paper saying they looked up chexsystems. however, the application i filled out did not say anywhere that i am authorizing them to look at anything (not my credit reports or chexsystem). so i don't know whether they also looked at my credit report itself, though i did see the bk on her screen, so if a bk does not appear on chexsystem, i would know for a fact that she looked up my credit report without even telling me!. i wonder whether that would appear as an inquiry on my credit report?? i wasn't applying for credit!

[music12]

hey all, got my chexsystem report today, and surprise surprise, it's totally and completely clean! no derogatory info is there about anything, not even the bk. there are a few inquiries from 2 years ago, that's it. and the bank i tried at last week put 2 inquiries the same day...

anyway, this is very strange, because they cited chexsystems as the reason for not opening a checking account for me. they are obviously not telling me the truth. they must have checked a credit report without telling me, then lied about why they won't open an account. i tried to call the lady today to ask but she wasn't there. i'll update y'all when i get some answers.

[justbroke]

Thanks! Perhaps Chexsystems updated it after the BK?

[music12]

hi justbroke,

i don't think they updated anything between last monday when the bank declined me and the next day when they printed out my report... my bk was discharged 3 months ago - it would be an amazing coincidence if they did something right on tuesday morning! plus, nothing should have been there ever.

so the plot thickens.

[justbroke]

so the plot thickens.

Of course I'm interested in hearing what happens when you re-contact the bank officer who declined you! I would inform that person that Chexsystems has a clean record for you... and you want detailed information under the Fair Credit Reporting Act of why they declined an account.

[aces67]

Hm I would call them back and ask them exactly what they were looking at. We opened new accounts 2 weeks ago and we had no problems even with our BK.

[Bell30656]

The purpose of Chex System is to help banks identify people that are likely to overdraft their accounts or not be good customers. Sure, you are going to run into a few road blocks after a bankruptcy. There are many banks that don't do credit checks and even others that don't use Chex Systems. Many times, you just need to explain it to the manager.

Go visit a Bank of America branch and actually speak to the manager. BOA and BB&T give the manager the authority to make that decision at least in my experience out here in Georgia. BB&T initially only gave me a standard debit card but this year they sent me a Visa logo debit card without my asking.

Many credit unions and banks give the manager this power but many of those same managers are afraid to use it.

[music12]

i already have a BofA account... but i don't like them very much. i think i will try again with the same bank first, because i don't want a whole bunch of inquiries just from trying different banks.

i'll call them and ask and then let you all know. it's funny that the form i filled out does not say anywhere that i am authorizing them to look at anything, not chexsystem, not a credit report, not anything. it just asks for my name, address, phone number, dob, SS#. so they might have some trouble explaining themselves, especially since the reason they gave me is bogus! i have the chexsystem report to prove it. we'll see...

[weRN2deep]

BTW, there is a website out there (wish I bookmarked) that I found had a long list of banks that are chexsystems friendly - ie, they don't use it. I know you posted that you found nothing on chex-s but just in case anyone else DOES have something neg on there.

FYI when we went in to open a new acct about 8 weeks ago (wanted to have a 2nd one before filing) they pulled our credit without even telling us. I know this because our credit wasn't hosed yet and they offered us a visa right then and there saying "your credit shows blah blah and we'd like to offer".

[leena]

Wells Fargo, the most evil bank in the world when it comes to people in the process of bankruptcy informed me when I asked that they would very gladly have me back after my bk was closed (I closed the account on my attorney's advice because they freeze your account when you file BK). They further said they do not "discriminate" in opening checking or savings accounts for people who have filed, and credit check new accounts only to make sure you have no outstanding unpaid debts because court imposed bank liens are a huge hassle for them.

I guess it juts shows they are all different!

I opened a Garentee Bank account right before I filed, I think I will keep them because they have been good to work with.

[shabam]

hey all, got my chexsystem report today, and surprise surprise, it's totally and completely clean! no derogatory info is there about anything, not even the bk. there are a few inquiries from 2 years ago, that's it. and the bank i tried at last week put 2 inquiries the same day...

anyway, this is very strange, because they cited chexsystems as the reason for not opening a checking account for me. they are obviously not telling me the truth. they must have checked a credit report without telling me, then lied about why they won't open an account. i tried to call the lady today to ask but she wasn't there. i'll update y'all when i get some answers.

Just received my report as well and it's clean.

I am guessing the bank you applied at performed a FICO check and based it on that. I have opened accounts before that have made hard inquiries on credit reports.

[shabam]

i already have a BofA account... but i don't like them very much. i think i will try again with the same bank first, because i don't want a whole bunch of inquiries just from trying different banks.

What state are you based out of?

[music12]

somehow i thought that they are supposed to get your specific permission to check your credit report, because i remember whenever applying to a credit card, they tell you that by applying you are authorizing them to look at it. so i thought if they don't say that, they don't look at your report. i guess i am wrong!

by now i must have 2 inquiries on my credit report from this bank (i guess the lady clicked twice, at least on chexsystems).

and shabam, i don't think it's my fico score, because that's 690! but it may be my bk. if so, they should have told me that rather than say it was chexsystems. seems so silly to mislead me about this. anyway, i'll know more once i talk to the lady.