Banks That Don’t Use ChexSystems in Connecticut

Features & Benefits

• Over 14.5 million downloads
• No credit check or ChexSystems
• No minimum opening deposit
• Over 60,000 fee-free¹ ATMs

With Chime®, bad banking history is not an issue. They offer an award-winning financial app, a debit card, and a credit builder Visa® credit card, all with no credit check.

The Chime Checking Account is 100% free and has no monthly fees:

• no monthly maintenance fees
• no foreign transaction fees
• no minimum balance fees

You can also start building your credit with the Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card. It’s a secured credit card with no annual fees, no credit checks, and no interest charges.

Chime has over 60,000¹ fee-free MoneyPass® and Visa® Plus Alliance ATMs. Plus, you can get your paycheck up to 2 days earlier with direct deposit². You can also deposit cash for free at over 8,500 Walgreens.

You can see why Chime is our #1 choice.

Features & Benefits

• No credit check or ChexSystems
• No minimum balance or hidden fees
• Fee-free overdraft up to $200 with Overdrive
• 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs in the U.S.
• Get paid up to 2 days faster

Current is a financial technology company, not a bank. The company does not use ChexSystems or pull your credit report, and they have a lot to offer.

A Current mobile bank account includes fee-free overdraft protection of up to $200. Account holders also get access to over 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs with your Current debit card, and there is no minimum balance or hidden fees.

You can also get paid up to two days early with direct deposit with a Current Premium account. Plus, Current offers up to 4.00% APY with Current Savings Pods.

Features & Benefits

• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly fees
• No overdraft fees
• Visa debit card, iOS and Android mobile app
• Up to 2% cash back

Upgrade doesn’t pull your ChexSystems report, but they do look at your credit report.

The Upgrade Rewards Checking account has no monthly fees and no ATM fees. You’ll also get up to 2% cash back on everyday debit card purchases.

Upgrade reimburses up to five out-of-network ATM fees per month if you meet certain conditions.

Upgrade is partnered with Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, and your funds are FDIC-insured up to $250,000. With an Upgrade checking account, you can also get up to 20% lower rates on Upgrade loans and credit cards.

Affinity Federal Credit Union doesn’t use ChexSystems, Telecheck, EWS, or pull a credit report.

Affinity FCU offers two types of checking accounts, MoreChecking and Affinity Checking. The Affinity Checking option doesn’t require a minimum deposit or have a minimum balance requirement. There’s also no monthly fee.

The checking account comes with free online bill pay, free eBanking, and a debit card with access to over 30,000 nationwide ATMs.

Aspiration’s Spend & Save Account is a hybrid checking and savings account that is entirely online. There’s a $10 minimum opening deposit to get started.

With an Aspiration debit card, you get unlimited fee-free withdrawals at over 55,000 ATMs and one out-of-network ATM reimbursement per month. You can also get paid up to two days early with direct deposit.

You can earn up to 5.00% APY when you spend $1,000/month and deposits are FDIC insured.

Axos Bank doesn’t use ChexSystems or pull your credit report.

The Rewards Checking account from Axos Bank has no monthly maintenance fees, unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements, and it comes with cash back rewards.

You get unlimited free mobile deposits and your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000. Plus, there are no overdraft fees or non-sufficient fund fees.

There are no minimum balance requirements, and you’ll only need a $50 deposit to open the account.

CorePlus allows anyone to open a savings account regardless of their checking history. However, if you do have a negative mark on your ChexSystems report, you may still be able to open an account.

To be considered, you must not have a history of fraud and you must have paid back anything you owed to your previous banks.

CorePlus has locations in East Lyme, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Groton, Norwich, Pawcatuck, Plainfield, and Waterford.

To join you must either live, work, attend school, or worship in New London County or Windham County, or live in the Town of Hebron or work for the Town of Bolton. Membership is also available to immediate family members of current members.

They offer four types of checking accounts: Simple Checking, Free, Premier, and Check 24. Free checking does not require a minimum balance, but you must have at least $250 a month directly deposited. It comes with free bill pay, online banking, and e-statements.

Members of Corporate America Family Federal can apply for Fresh Start Checking. You’re required to keep $100 in your Regular Share Account and the monthly fee is $10.

You can also sign up to take an online class called Get In Balance. Use it to learn the most effective ways to become a successful account holder.

Eastern Connecticut Savings Bank offers a second chance checking account called Restart Checking. If you don’t have a history of fraud on your ChexSystems report and don’t currently owe any money to a bank or credit union, you may be eligible to open an account.

Restart Checking requires a $25 opening deposit, and there is a $6.95 monthly service fee. However, after that, there’s no balance requirement provided you have enough to cover the monthly fee.

It comes with free online and mobile banking, unlimited check writing, a free debit card, phone banking, bill pay, and e-statements. Eastern Connecticut Savings Bank has locations in Norwich, Norwichtown, Jewett City, and Plainfield.

Enfield Community Federal allows anyone to open a savings account. If you would like to open a checking account, your ChexSystems record cannot indicate any fraud and you must have paid back any debts you owed to banks.

ECFCU is located in Enfield, Connecticut. To find out if you are eligible to join, Enfield Community Federal Credit Union suggests that you speak with a customer service representative. They have many paths to membership.

Enfield Community Federal Credit Union offers five types of checking products. They are:

• Credit Union (CU) ExclusivePlus
• Credit Union (CU) Exclusive
• Regular Checking
• Senior Checking
• Teen Scene Checking (Ages 11-17)

ExclusivePlus and Exclusive both offer free checking provided you are signed up with direct deposit. Regular Checking is free if you are able to maintain a balance of $100. If not, the monthly fee is $5.00.

FineX is a ChexSystems credit union that offers a second chance checking to its members. To join you must either live, work, or worship in Hartford or Tolland County, or have an immediate family member who is already a member.

Called Re-Start Checking, this second chance checking account has a monthly service fee of $15. However, there is no minimum balance requirement.

It doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles that a normal account does, but it does come with a free debit card as well as unlimited check writing.

FineX has locations in East Hartford, Manchester, and Vernon.

Hartford Federal uses ChexSystems, but it does offer a second chance checking account. You must first apply for a standard checking account before you can apply directly for the second chance checking account.

There’s a $5 monthly fee, but if you’re able to keep your account in good standing for a year you may be able to transfer to a standard checking account.

Though it is a second chance checking account, it comes with a variety of benefits. Some of them include:

• Free online banking
• Free mobile banking
• Free bill pay
• Free online check imaging
• Unlimited check writing
• Overdraft protection

Although there is only one location, Hartford FCU is a part of the Co-Op Shared Branch network, giving members account access at over 5,000 locations across the nation.

To become a member, you must live or work in Hartford, Tolland, or Middlesex County and deposit $50 into a main share savings account.

Jewett City Savings Bank uses ChexSystems to screen new applications but will accept people with ChexSystems records provided there is not a history of fraud and any past debts have been repaid.

Depending on your history, a debit card may be withheld for the first three months. Maintain a positive account balance for that time, and you’ll then become eligible to receive a debit card.

Jewett City Savings Bank offers four checking accounts: Free Checking, Classic Checking, Direct Checking, and High-Interest Checking.

Free checking doesn’t have any monthly fees or balance requirements. It comes with free online and mobile banking, and free e-statements.

Seasons Federal does use ChexSystems, but has a history of being more lenient than other credit unions and banks. As long as you don’t have a history of fraud and you’ve paid back your debts to the financial institution, Seasons FCU may open an account for you.

However, if you’re just looking to open a savings account and aren’t concerned with a checking account, it doesn’t matter what’s on your ChexSystems report.

Seasons has locations in Middletown and Meriden. Membership is available to anyone lives, works, worships, volunteers or attends school in:

• Middlesex
• Madison
• Meriden
• Branford
• North Branford
• Cheshire
• North Haven
• East Haven
• Wallingford
• Guilford

Sikorsky has locations in Stratford, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Danbury, Milford, Seymour, Shelton, and Trumbull.

It’s a ChexSystems bank, but anyone, regardless of their checking history, can open a savings account.

If you want to open a checking account, it all depends on what information is on your report. Indications of fraud aren’t accepted, but if you’ve paid back any amounts you owed, you may be eligible. To save time, be sure to speak with a customer service representative before you apply.

To become a member, you must either live, work, worship or, volunteer in Fairfield, New Haven or Hartford County, Connecticut. You may also join if one of your immediate family members is already a member.

Webster Bank has locations throughout much of Connecticut and caters to people looking to repair their checking history.

They have a second chance checking account called Opportunity Checking. You can transfer out of it after a year of maintaining a positive balance.

It requires a $50 opening deposit but comes with free mobile banking, balance alerts, bill pay, and online banking. There’s a monthly service fee of $16.95, but this fee can be reduced to $11.95 if you sign up for direct deposit.

The account also comes with unlimited check writing, as well as free access to over 300 Webster ATMs.