Need help with ChexSystems

Hi,
I'm hoping someone will be able to tell me what to do here. Ok, my husband and I just moved to a new state and back home we had separate checking accounts but here we wanted a joint account. However, the bank here told us that I could not be on the account because I had a negative mark on Chexsystems. This is also on my credit reports, however, it is marked paid in full on all of my credit reports and I was told that because it says that it is paid, that it is not causing further damage (the damage I did can't be reversed, I just have to repair it and build better credit).

The mark is for a rent check that bounced over 6 years ago when I was going through a divorce. I wrote the rent check and turned it in, and filed for divorce around the same time. My ex-husband proceeded to the bank and emptied the account. Since both of our names were on the account, there was nothing I could do at the time. Needless to say, I didn't have another $400 some odd dollars to replace the money, so my rent check bounced. For some reason or another, the bank covered the check, which meant that I owed the bank. That was fine, but I had to make payments which they agreed to. The balance was paid in full May 7th 2003. I have a letter from the bank stating that it was paid in full and that ChexSystems was notified to report my account as paid in full.

ChexSystems is obviously not reporting it paid in full, and I cannot get a hold of anyone there. The phone numbers I have only go to the automated system which only allows you to order your ChexSystems credit report and supposedly with it comes a way to dispute anything. However, I requested this over a month ago and have not received it.

I didn't have a problem getting a bank account on my own up home, so why can't I get one with my husband here? Since I've had my own account after the initial incident I have never had anything negative on my bank account or credit (since about 2003). Why doesn't the bank here consider this as a factor if they are going to consider the negative. I have no way of depositing money into my bank account up home aside from sending checks to my sister once a week, which is a huge hassle for everyone involved.

Can someone give me some advice. We were thining of talking to a branch manager or trying a different bank, but I'm not sure if it will help if I cannot get ChexSystems to remove the remark. Like I said I have a letter from the original bank, will that help at all?

Thanks

 

I thought about trying another bank. The bank that my car loan is already through is down here and I figured if they gave me a car loan that they would likely give me a bank account.

I do have the letter from the bank in writing. They did tell ChexSystems to stop reporting it. It isn't reporting on any of my other credit reports, just on this, which as far as I know is only used for opening an account.

I have the letter from the original bank and I was thinking of just taking that into the branch and using it as proof so to speak that it is paid in full. I even have a printout of all of the payment history that I made on it. What I don't understand is that this was so long ago and I have had a perfect bank account with another bank since then. This was one incident and it wasn't as if I had done it on purpose. I don't understand why no one is listening to me.

As far as a number for ChexSystems: 800-428-9623. But you will never get a human and all you can do is order a report. If you were denied an account within the past 30 days or something they are supposed to send it to you for free otherwise it is like $8 or something. However, I ordered mine twice and they haven't sent anything and it has been over a month. I mean why would they bother, they don't actually ever have to deal with a customer on the phone or anything.

 

Hey everyone, just to clarify, though I doubt this will help. The original bank was WSFS which is located only in Delaware, we moved all the way down to North Carolina, so I can't go to a branch there and get it corrected. However I have left messages for the contact person who wrote the letter stating that it should no longer be reported on chexsystems.

Also, Wachovia is the bank we tried to open an account down here with. My husband is on the account now, but the person who opened the account said that because I had something on Chexsystems (he specifically said that and gave me a form with that box only marked off for me to contact because that is what is keeping me from having an account) that he cannot open an account or put me on my husband's. My credit score is from equifax 594, from trans union 621 and from experian 647, so they are above 480 on all reporting agencies. Actually, it should even be better now because I have paid off my car loan and gotten another (this report we got when applying for a mortgage a year ago, but we decided to move down here instead) Furthermore, none of the other reporting agencies are still reporting this. They were when it first happened, but as soon as I got the letter saying it was paid in full, every single other reporting agency reported it as such.

Like I said I have an account up home in Delaware with Commerce Bank. I know they check on Chexsystems because my sister used to work for them before she became an accountant. I've had it for 3 or more years now and I have never had a problem with them. As a matter of fact as a rule of thumb I don't let my account go below $100 at any time. On average I was keeping about $500-$1000 a week in my checking.

I agree I think that this is being reported wrong, and I don't know how to fix it through ChexSystems since I can't contact anyone there. I'm waiting to hear back from the lady at WSFS and I'm going to see if she can help, but I might just go to another bank and see if they will give me an account.