ChexSystems
ChexSystems (Chex Systems, Inc.) is a consumer reporting agency that banks use when you apply for a checking account. It collects and reports data on account applications, openings and closures, including why an account was closed. If a bank turned you down, a ChexSystems report may be why, and you can get it free and dispute errors.
Being refused a bank account usually traces back to a closed account, an unpaid overdraft or an identity-theft account in your ChexSystems file. It is a consumer report like a credit report, and the same FCRA duties apply.
Who ChexSystems is
- What it does. The CFPB describes it as providing "account verification services primarily for financial institutions," collecting and reporting data on "checking account applications, openings, and closures, including reasons for account closure" (CFPB).
- Ownership. Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) described ChexSystems as its "decision solutions subsidiary," subject to the FCRA, in its 2020 annual report (SEC Form 10-K).
- Your report. The CFPB says ChexSystems supplies one free report a year on request, plus a free score if asked, and offers a freeze.
- Phone and address. The CFPB's listing gives 800-428-9623 and Chex Systems, Inc., Attn: Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 583399, Minneapolis, MN 55458 (checked September 29, 2026).
Why ChexSystems matters when you open an account
Banks and credit unions check ChexSystems when you apply to open a checking or savings account. A prior account closed with an unpaid negative balance, or one flagged for suspected fraud, can lead to a denial. The CFPB also notes that ChexSystems provides deposit account information to lenders evaluating people with limited credit histories.
ChexSystems is a specialty consumer reporting agency, and the FCRA requires such agencies to offer a streamlined way to get your free annual report (15 U.S.C. § 1681j(a)(1)(C)). If the bank that closed your old account reported it wrongly, dispute with ChexSystems and with that bank.
How to get your report and dispute it
- Get the report. Ask ChexSystems for your file; it must disclose the information in it and its sources (15 U.S.C. § 1681g(a)). If a company turned you down based on a report, you are entitled to a free copy within 60 days (§ 1681j(b)).
- Dispute in writing, with proof. Identify each wrong item, say why it is wrong, and attach copies. The agency must reinvestigate within 30 days (§ 1681i(a)(1)).
- Dispute with the source too. After the agency passes on your dispute, the company that furnished the data must investigate and report back (15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b)).
- Keep everything. The letters you send, the results you get, and any denial letter from a lender, landlord or employer are the evidence in an FCRA case.
Step-by-step help: how to dispute your credit report.
What ChexSystems cannot do
These duties apply to every consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. They describe the law, not what this company has done in your case.
- Skip reasonable accuracy procedures. A consumer reporting agency must follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy (15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b)). See credit report errors.
- Ignore or rubber-stamp your dispute. It must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation within 30 days, and send your dispute to the company that furnished the data within 5 business days (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)). See failed dispute.
- Keep identity-theft accounts on your report. With an identity theft report and proof of identity, it must block the information within 4 business days (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2(a)). See identity theft on your credit report.
- Report most negative items after seven years, or bankruptcies after ten (15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)). See paid debt still reported.
- Give your report to someone without a permissible purpose (15 U.S.C. § 1681b(f)).
Public record
Only public, sourced facts appear here. Where we quote an agency or a court, the words describe what that agency or court found, alleged or decided.
CFPB complaints, as of September 29, 2026. The CFPB database does not list "ChexSystems" as a company name. It lists complaints under "Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FNIS)": from September 1, 2025 through September 1, 2026, 7,588 complaints, 6,822 of them about credit or consumer reports and 1,838 from New York, New Jersey and Florida. That count covers the parent as a whole, so read the individual complaints. See the complaints in the CFPB database. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings of wrongdoing.
Government orders. We found no federal or New York enforcement order against ChexSystems to report here.
What the law lets you recover
A willful violation of the FCRA allows actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, plus punitive damages (15 U.S.C. § 1681n(a)); a negligent one allows actual damages (§ 1681o(a)). The FCRA requires a company found liable to pay the consumer's reasonable attorney's fees and costs. A claim must be filed within two years after you discover the violation and no more than five years after it happened (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). See New York, New Jersey and Florida for state claims that can sit alongside it.
Common questions
Why was I denied a checking account?
Banks often check ChexSystems before opening an account. If a bank denied you based on a report, it must tell you which agency supplied it, and you can get a free copy and dispute errors.
How long does information stay on a ChexSystems report?
The FCRA bars most adverse information older than seven years (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)). Ask ChexSystems for your report to see what it shows and when each item was reported.
Someone opened an account in my name and it is on my ChexSystems report. What do I do?
File an identity theft report, then send it with proof of identity to ChexSystems and ask for a block. A consumer reporting agency must block identity-theft information within four business days of receiving those documents.
Tell us what they did.
One conversation with an attorney, in your language. We tell you which laws the collector or the credit bureau broke, which deadline runs first, and what to save this week. If it is not a case we can take, we say so and tell you where to go.
(718) 484-7510The FDCPA and the FCRA require a company found liable to pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Our fee arrangement is confirmed in a written retainer before we begin. English, Russian and Spanish in-house; an interpreter for any other language.