Banks That Don’t Use ChexSystems in Connecticut

Struggling to open a checking account in Connecticut due to a negative ChexSystems listing?

While most banks use ChexSystems to review your banking history, there are some that don’t. Additionally, some banks offer second checking accounts.

Non-ChexSystems & Second Chance Banks in Connecticut

We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of Connecticut banks and credit unions that allow anyone to open a checking account, regardless of their banking history.

SoFi

Our Top Pick

Features & Benefits

  • Sign-up bonus up to $300 with qualifying direct deposits
  • No monthly fee
  • Earn up to 4.60% APY on savings
  • Over 55,000 fee-free ATMs

The SoFi Checking and Savings account provides a multitude of benefits, including no overdraft fees, balance requirements, or monthly charges.

For a limited time, there’s an enticing sign-up bonus of up to $300 with qualifying direct deposits.

In addition, account holders can utilize 55,000 ATMs free of charge via the Allpoint® Network. Those establishing direct deposit are entitled to an annual percentage yield (APY) of 4.60% on their savings and 0.50% on checking accounts.

Direct deposit users also get the added benefit of early access to their paychecks – up to 2 days ahead, and they can earn up to 15% cash back at local businesses when they make transactions with the SoFi debit card.

Chime

Our Second Pick

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 checking account with a debit card, and a savings account, all with no credit check.

When you open a Chime Checking Account, you won’t have to worry about monthly maintenance fees, foreign transaction fees, or minimum balance fees.

You can also start building your credit7 with the Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card. It’s a secured credit card with no annual fees, no credit checks, and no interest charges1.

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.

Current

Features & Benefits

  • Build credit just by using your debit card
  • No minimum balance or monthly fees
  • 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs in the U.S.
  • Get paid up to 2 days faster
  • No credit check or ChexSystems

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.

With Current, your everyday purchases can now shape your financial future. Simply by swiping your debit card, you can build credit. No loans or credit checks needed. There are also no monthly or annual fees for this service.

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.

GO2bank

Features & Benefits

  • No ChexSystems or credit check
  • 4.50% APY on savings
  • Over 19,000 fee-free ATMs
  • $5 monthly fee can be waived

GO2bank is a neobank offered by Green Dot, a well-established financial technology company. Customers can open a checking account featuring subaccounts known as vaults without a minimum balance requirement.

GO2bank provides an attractive 4.50% APY on savings accounts for balances of up to $5,000. Access to funds is made easy through cash deposits at 90,000 retail locations and fee-free ATMs at 19,000 locations.

Additionally, customers can receive their pay up to 2 days in advance and government benefits up to 4 days early via direct deposit.

You can also opt for overdraft protection up to $200 with eligible direct deposits.

GO2bank offers the GO2bank Secured Visa Credit Card, which can assist customers in building their credit over time through responsible use.

The $5 monthly fee is waived when you receive payroll or government benefits through direct deposit.

Chase

Features & Benefits

  • $100 bonus after 10 purchases
  • No credit check or ChexSystems
  • Over 16,000+ fee-free ATMs
  • Over 4,700 branches nationwide
  • $4.95 monthly service fee

Chase offers a checking account called Chase Secure Banking. The account comes with a Chase debit card that gets you access to over 16,000 fee-free ATMs.

Some features of this checking account include free online bill pay, free money orders and cashier’s checks, no overdraft fees, and no minimum opening deposit. However, there is also a monthly service fee of $4.95.

When you open a Chase Secure Banking account and make 10 qualifying purchases within 60 days, you’ll get a $100 cash bonus.

Account approval is immediate, and the debit card typically arrives within days.

Affinity Federal Credit Union

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.

CorePlus Federal Credit Union

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.

Corporate America Family Federal Credit Union

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

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 Credit Union

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 Credit Union

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 Credit Union

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

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 Credit Union

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 Credit Union

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

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.

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC. Credit Builder card issued by Stride Bank, N.A.

1. Out-of-network ATM withdrawal fees may apply with Chime except at MoneyPass ATMs in a 7-Eleven, or any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM.

2. Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. Chime generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

7. The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.