Banks That Don’t Use ChexSystems in New Jersey

Struggling to open a checking account in New Jersey 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 New Jersey

We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of New Jersey 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.

Atlantic Federal Credit Union

Atlantic Federal uses ChexSystems but offers its members a second chance checking account called Take 2 Checking. There’s a $10 monthly service charge.

After you’ve kept your account in good standing for six months you may transfer to one of Atlantic’s standard checking accounts.

Although Take 2 Checking is a second chance checking account, it comes with a variety of modern-day banking tools. Some of these include a free Visa debit card, free online banking, free mobile banking, and free bill pay.

They have locations in Kenilworth, Newark, and West Orange. To join, you must live, work, worship, do business, or attend school in Union County or Essex County. Membership is also available to the immediate family of current members of Atlantic Federal Credit Union.

Century Savings Bank

Century Savings Bank doesn’t use ChexSystems to screen new applications, nor does it use Telecheck or EWS. Instead, Century Savings Bank only requires you to present two forms of ID when opening an account. One ID must be a primary, government-issued ID, but the other may be a secondary ID.

Century Savings Bank offers a variety of checking options:

  • Consumer Checking Plus
  • Century Checking Plus
  • Money Market Plus
  • 55 Plus Checking

No matter which checking account you choose, all accounts come with free eBanking, free bill pay, free eStatements, and a free MasterCard debit card.

Century Savings Bank has locations in Elmer, Mullica Hill, Vineland, Bridgeton, and Gibbstown.

Credit Union of New Jersey

Credit Union of New Jersey is a ChexSystems bank, but it offers a second chance checking account called Right Turn Checking. It requires a $100 minimum opening deposit but thereafter does not have a minimum balance requirement.

There is a monthly fee of $10, but if you keep your account in good standing for 12 months, you may be able to transfer to one of Credit Union’s standard checking accounts.

Right Turn Checking account holders get a free MasterCard debit card and can use Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay. The account also comes with every modern day banking tool that you would expect, but aren’t always available with second chance checking accounts.

These include free mobile and online banking, free bill pay, free eStatements, free remote deposit, as well as identity theft protection.

They have locations in Willingboro, Ewing, Trenton, and Princeton.

First Atlantic Federal Credit Union

First Atlantic is not a ChexSystems bank, so if you’ve been turned away from other banks because of your checking history, you may be able to open an account. First Atlantic FCU has locations in Eatontown, Neptune, Oceanport, and Toms River.

They offer two types of checking accounts: the One Account and the Elite Account. The One Account gets you access to over 30,000 surcharge fee-free ATMs across the nation and comes with a variety of free perks, some of which include:

  • Free online banking
  • Free mobile banking
  • Free debit card
  • Unlimited check writing
  • Free eStatements

The One Account also doesn’t require a minimum balance, nor does it have a monthly service fee.

Garden State Federal Credit Union

Garden State Federal does not use ChexSystems to screen new applications. Instead, they only require proper identification. This means applicants must provide two forms of ID, one of which must be a primary, government-issued ID. The second ID may be a secondary ID.

They have a variety of checking options, but its primary checking account comes with every modern day banking tool, is free and does not require a minimum account balance.

To join Garden State FCU, you must live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in one of nine select cities in New Jersey, or be a part of a participating employer group.

Garden State is located in Moorestown and Bellmawr but is also part of the Co-Op Shared Branch Network, which means you can access your account at thousands of locations across the nation.

IRCO Community Federal Credit Union

IRCO Community Federal doesn’t use ChexSystems, Telecheck, or EWS. Instead, IRCO requires two forms of ID. O

A checking account with IRCO comes with free overdraft protection, a free VISA debit card, unlimited check writing, as well as free online banking. There’s a $10 monthly fee, but this fee may be waived if you maintain a $250 daily balance.

They have a location in Phillipsburg but also has a location just over the line in Pennsylvania. To join, you must either live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in one of the following areas:

  • Phillipsburg
  • Alpha
  • TWSPS of Franklin
  • Greenwich
  • Harmony
  • Lopatcong
  • Pohatcong

Jersey Shore Federal Credit Union

Jersey Shore Federal is a ChexSystems bank that offers a second chance checking account called Fresh Start Checking. It only requires a $25 opening deposit. There’s also a $15 monthly service fee.

Fresh Start Checking account holders must complete a checking management program, and may also be required to enroll in direct deposit. However, you get access to many banking features usually only available with a standard checking account. These include:

  • Access to thousands of surcharge free ATMs
  • Unlimited check writing
  • Free online access
  • Free bill pay
  • Free mobile banking
  • Free remote deposit
  • Overdraft protection options

Jersey Shore has locations in Atlantic City, Galloway, May’s Landing, Northfield, and Rio Grande. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, volunteers, worships, or attends school in Atlantic County or Cape May County.

Newfield National Bank

NewField National Bank uses EWS in lieu of ChexSystems when screening new applications. Newfield requires a minimum $50 opening deposit to create an account but does not charge a monthly service fee or require a minimum account balance.

There are a variety of checking accounts available to members. These include Gold Club Checking, Money Market Deposit Account, NOW Checking, Regular Checking, New Jersey Consumer Checking, and Student Checking.

New Jersey Consumer Checking comes with direct deposit options, a debit card, eStatements, and free checking writing. A minimum daily balance of $1.00 is required to avoid the $3 monthly service fee.

They have locations in the following areas: Newfield, Malaga, Franklinville, Williamstown, Pitman, Sewell, Vineland, and Bridgeton.

OceanFirst Bank

OceanFirst and Cape Bank recently merged, which is good news if you’re looking for a non-ChexSystems bank. OceanFirst only requires applicants to present two forms of ID when opening an account.

It does not use ChexSystems, Telecheck, EWS, or even require a credit report check. One ID must be a primary, government-issued form of ID, but the second may be a secondary ID.

OceanFirst offers a few different checking account options for its members: AmiGo, Simply Great Checking, Totally Free Checking, RewardsFirst Checking, and A+ Student Checking.

Totally Free Checking doesn’t have a minimum balance requirement nor does it have a monthly service charge. The minimum opening deposit is only $50, and it comes with a free Visa debit card as well as a free eBanking.

OceanFirst has locations in throughout many parts of New Jersey but has a particularly strong presence along the coast.

Pennsville National Bank

Pennsville National Bank doesn’t use ChexSystems, Telecheck, or EWS to screen new applications. In fact, they don’t even require a credit report. The only thing they require is two forms of ID.

Pennsville offers several checking accounts.

The Freedom Account is an unlimited checking account. There’s no monthly service fee if your account balance has a minimum daily balance of $300 or more.

You can find branches in Pennsville, Woodstown, Elmer, Penns Grove, and Pedricktown.

United Teletech Financial Federal Credit Union

United Teletech offers a second chance checking account, which it calls Fresh Start Checking. This account is intended for anyone with a negative ChexSystems record, and who is also looking to repair it.

If you keep your account in good standing for 12 months, you may be eligible to transfer to a standard account with United Teletech.

Fresh Start Checking comes with a free debit card, online banking, mobile banking, bill pay, as well as unlimited check writing.

They have locations in Middletown, Hazlet, Morganville, Neptune, North Brunswick, and Tinto Falls.

Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, volunteers, worships, or attends school in Monmouth County, Ocean County, and parts of central Middlesex County. It’s also available to anyone who is directly related to a current member.

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.