Banks That Don’t Use ChexSystems in Indiana

Features & Benefits

• Up to $1,000 bonus
• Minimum opening deposit of $25
• Monthly service fee: $0 or $6.95
• Over 40,000 surcharge-free MoneyPass ATMs

Features & Benefits

• Sign-up bonus up to $250 with qualifying direct deposits
• No monthly fee
• Earn up to 4.50% APY on savings
• Over 55,000 fee-free ATMs

Features & Benefits

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

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

Features & Benefits

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

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

Onward Checking from 3Rivers Federal is a second chance checking account designed for people who have had previous financial problems. It comes with a free Visa debit card and you can access tens of thousands of nationwide ATMs for free.

The monthly fee is $8, but there’s no minimum balance. Plus, 3Rivers will pay for your first overdraft fee. The account includes free online and mobile banking, plus bill pay.

3Rivers Federal has multiple branches in Indiana, including in Fort Wayne, Decatur, Auburn, Bluffton, Columbia City, and Kendallville.

AAA Federal offers Fresh Start Checking for credit-challenged individuals. You can gain access to banking services such as checking, a debit card, and even loans.

After one year of successfully managing your account, you can upgrade to a traditional account.

There are two branches in South Bend and one in Mishawaka. Membership is available for anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school, or volunteers in St. Joseph County, Indiana.

After joining Centra, you can take advantage of their Opportunity accounts. The first step is to open an Opportunity Savings account with a $5 deposit.

After that, you can sign up for Opportunity Checking. With direct deposit, the account costs $5 per month. Without direct deposit, you’ll pay $8 monthly.

Benefits of this account include a MasterCard debit card, online banking and bill pay, overdraft protection options, and unlimited check writing. There are limits, however, on your debit card and ability to cash checks.

Centra has locations in Carmel, Clarksville, Columbus, Edinburgh, Greensburg, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, North Vernon, Scottsburg, Sellersburg, Seymour, and Shelbyville.

CommunityWide Federal requires a credit check rather than a pull of your ChexSystems record, which could improve your chances of getting approved. You need $15 to open your account and if you keep at least $500 in your account, you can earn interest.

You can find 11 CommunityWide branches in South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Elkhart, Plymouth, Goshen, and Warsaw.

Membership is available to those who are an employee, retiree, or donor to one of several participating organizations in northern Indiana.

Even if you don’t work at one of these organizations, it’s easy to become eligible by making a donation to one of the non-profits, such as Goodwill, Housing Assistance Office, or Hope Rescue Mission.

Fresh Start Checking from Diamond Valley Federal can help you rebuild your financial history. It comes with the same perks as a regular account, including a Visa debit card, online banking, mobile banking, and bill pay.

The account requires an opening fee of $25, plus an ongoing $10 monthly maintenance fee. To open an account with Diamond Valley, you must live, work, worship, or attend school in Vanderburgh County or be related to someone who does. Branches are located in Evansville, Indiana.

First Financial Bank has a second chance checking account called CLEANslate Checking. It offers a fresh start regardless of your checking history.

There’s a $50 opening deposit, but no minimum balance requirement moving forward. The monthly fee is $10 and you get quite a few perks along with it.

You’ll receive a debit card along with free ATM access and you even get a free gift when you open at a banking center. There are also plenty of digital features, including mobile deposits and online and mobile banking.

Instead of ChexSystems, First Trust relies on a credit report pull to approve new applicants. There are two account options, with the more accessible one being their Traditional Checking.

There’s no monthly fee nor is there a minimum balance requirement. You can also get a Visa check card, unlimited check writing, overdraft protection, and courtesy pay.

To be eligible for membership with First Trust, you must live or work in La Porte, Porter, Jasper, Newtown, or Pulaski County.

Another method is to work with a community partner or have a relative who’s already a member. Branches are located in Michigan City, La Porte, Valparaiso, and Wheatfield.

GenFed Financial offers a second chance checking account called Clean Start Checking.

To be eligible, you can have no more than three records in ChexSystems with an outstanding total of less than $500.

There are no minimum balance requirements, and the monthly fee is $5. If you successfully manage your account for a year, you can bump up to GenFed’s Free Checking or Dividend Checking.

You can apply for Second Chance Checking at Heritage Federal. There’s a monthly service charge of $10 but otherwise, you get access to typical financial services.

All accounts come with a MyMoneyCard, which can be used anywhere that accepts Visa debit cards. You also get online and mobile banking, plus bill pay.

You can become a member if you live, work, worship, or attend school in Vanderburgh, Warrick, or Posey Counties in Indiana. There are 11 branch locations spread out in Indiana and Kentucky.

Fresh Start Checking is available from Horizon Bank and there’s just a $5 monthly service fee. You don’t need a minimum opening deposit or an ongoing balance either.

Perks include a free debit card, unlimited check writing, online banking, and bill pay. Sign up for e-statements to get the monthly $3 paper statement fee waived.

Horizon Bank has a large footprint in Indiana, with branches located across the state. They’re especially prevalent in northern and central Indiana.

You just need two forms of identification to open an account with Kentland Bank. The most basic account option is Personal Checking, which requires an opening deposit of $100.

The monthly charge depends on how much money you have in your account. If you keep under a $250 balance, then you’ll pay an $8 monthly fee.

The cost lowers incrementally the higher balance you keep. It can be waived entirely if you’re a senior citizen, keep a high balance, or use less than five checks a month.

Kentland Bank branches can be found in Kentland, Lafayette, Lake Village, Rennselaer, and Roselawn.

Members Source is non-ChexSystems so you could qualify for an account with them. You’ll need a $100 deposit to open the account, but then there’s no minimum balance necessary.

You can sign up for automatic overdraft transfers, plus get unlimited check writing along with your Visa debit card.

There are broad membership requirements so it’s easy to qualify. Their five branch locations include Merrillville, Griffith, Munster, Hammond, and Dyer.

Members Source lets you access your account nationwide at 5,000 co-op shared branches. You also get access to over 20,000 fee-free ATMs.

Midwest America Federal Credit Union uses Telecheck instead of ChexSystems when screening new applications.

It offers three types of checking accounts: Reward Checking, Benefits Plus Checking, and Freedom Checking.

The Freedom Checking account has no monthly service fee and no minimum balance requirement. It also offers overdraft protection options, and free online and mobile banking.

You may be able to qualify for EZ Access Checking from Old National Bank. It’s a basic account with a $4.95 monthly fee. There’s no minimum balance and you get five free money orders each month.

You won’t get access to overdraft protection but you can take advantage of online bill pay, mobile deposit, a digital wallet, and Popmoney.

Old National Bank has branches across the Evansville area. You also get free access to over 64,000 Allpoint ATMs located throughout the U.S.

One Vision Federal has second chance checking called Rising Star Checking. The monthly fee is $15 but you can get that lowered to $10 if you meet the following requirements.

First, you must complete One Vision’s financial education workshop. Additionally, you must maintain a minimum balance of $30. You also need to sign up for monthly direct deposit to get the fee discount.

How can you become a member? You must live, work, worship, or attend school in one of the following counties: Clark, Floyd, or Harrison.

Once you complete your application, you must pay a one-time $1 membership fee. Then, you’ll need to open a Prime Share account that has at least $5 in it.

Rather than use ChexSystems, Park Community runs a credit report to determine eligibility for a checking account. There are several checking options to choose from, but the most basic option is called Freedom Checking.

If you sign up for direct deposit of at least $400 a month, you can get the monthly fee waived. There’s also unlimited bill pay and check writing, with no minimum balance required.

Park Community is primarily located in Kentucky, but there are two branches in southern Indiana. You’ll find one in New Albany and the other in Clarksville.

Even if you’ve had a rocky financial past, you can apply for Regional Federal’s First Step Checking. Direct deposit is required in order to qualify and you’ll have to pay an $8 monthly fee.

On the plus side, there’s no minimum balance required and you get a free debit card and unlimited check writing. You’ll also get access to a free educational service so you can get better at managing your finances. Another perk is the potential to apply for a Step Up loan if you ever need a personal loan for some reason.

To join Regional Federal, you must live in Northwest Indiana. Specifically, you should live, work, worship, or attend school in either Lake or Porter County. Branches are located in Hammond and Valparaiso.

Republic Bank has a second chance checking account called Checking Builder Account. It requires a $50 deposit, a social security number, and government ID.

If you’re in ChexSystems, you may need to provide documentation that you have satisfied any debt you may have had with a former financial institution.

The monthly fee is $12.95 a month. However, this amount can be reduced if you sign up for direct deposit, or have at least 20 debit transactions a month.

Checking Builder doesn’t require a minimum balance, and comes with free internet banking, free bill pay, and unlimited check writing. You get free ATM transactions with Republic Bank, Presto, Sum, MoneyPass, or Allpoint ATMs.

Staley Credit Union offers a second chance checking account called Renew Checking. It’s designed for anyone looking to repair their checking history.

Renew Checking requires a $50 deposit to get started and there is a $7 monthly service fee.

Renew Checking comes with free online and mobile banking, free bill pay, a free debit card, and access to over 5,000 free nationwide ATMs. Overdraft protection options are also available to members.

Transferring to a standard checking account is possible if you maintain a positive balance in the account during the first year.

UNIFY Financial doesn’t use ChexSystems to screen new applications. They offer four different checking accounts: Free Checking, Right Start Checking, eChecking, and Premier Checking.

There’s a $25 minimum opening deposit. Each checking account comes with a free Visa Debit Card, free check writing, and free access to online and mobile banking.

United Fidelity Bank offers second chance checking called New Day Checking. The minimum opening deposit is a low $25 and after that, you don’t have to maintain a certain balance. The monthly fee is also reasonable at just $8.

After you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without an instance of non-sufficient funds, you can request to have the monthly fee removed completely. You’ll also need to reach 6 months of no non-sufficient funds in order to qualify for a Visa debit card.

However, automatically you’ll be eligible for unlimited check writing and online banking with bill pay. There are also multiple locations throughout Indianapolis and Evansville.

Woodforest offers a second chance bank account to members at over 700 branches in 17 states.

The minimum opening deposit is just $25 and you’ll also have to pay a one-time setup fee of $9.

It also comes with a monthly fee of $11.95. You can get it reduced to $9.95 by enrolling in direct deposit. Another small fee is a paper statement fee of $3 per month. It can be waived completely by signing up for e-statements.