ChexSystems® Frequently Asked Questions

Chex Systems, Inc. (ChexSystems) is a nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). ChexSystems' clients regularly contribute information on closed checking and savings accounts. ChexSystems provides services to financial institutions and other types of companies that have a permissible purpose under the FCRA. ChexSystems' services primarily assist its clients in assessing the risk of opening new accounts.

Chex Systems, Inc. is a nationwide specialty consumer-reporting agency (NSCRA) governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and any applicable state statutes. The term "nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency" means a consumer reporting agency that compiles and maintains files on consumers on a nationwide basis relating to -
(1) medical records or payments;
(2) residential or tenant history;
(3) check writing history;
(4) employment history; or
(5) insurance claims.

ChexSystems is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This consumer protection legislation is designed to ensure that the gathering and sharing of consumer information is done accurately, fairly and with respect for the consumer's right to privacy. You can request a copy of your consumer disclosure report at any time. In accordance with the FCRA, your consumer report can only be disclosed to others having a permissible purpose (legal right) for that information.

Examples of legitimate requests include:

• According to your written instructions
• A business transaction initiated by you
• Pursuant to a court order or federal grand jury subpoena
• Your application for a license or other benefit granted by the government, when consideration of financial responsibility is required by law
• A child support determination, under certain circumstances

ChexSystems neither approves nor declines applications or accounts. The decision depends on the policies of the institution you attempt to do business with.

You can request a copy of your consumer disclosure report from ChexSystems.

• Reports of forcibly closed check or savings accounts
• Reports of returned checks reported to Certegy Payment Solutions, LLC
• Records of inquiries that have been made about you
• Records of check orders you have placed

Items not included in your file include, but are not limited to:

• Credit bureau score
• Criminal records
• Education level
• Employment history
• Marital status
• Open/Active account information
• Rental history
• Voluntarily closed accounts with no history of mishandling

Our current practice is to retain record of reported information for a period of five years from the report date unless the source of the information requests its removal or ChexSystems becomes obligated to remove it under applicable law or policy.

The retention period for reported information is 5 years from the date of closure. The furnisher is under no obligation to remove an accurate report of account mishandling. The furnisher is obligated to update the closure status of reported account information to accurately reflect a paid in full or settled in full status and date when applicable. When ChexSystems receives a closure status update from the furnisher, the report will be updated, but the reported account information will remain on file.

This information is masked to protect the privacy of your personal information. If you would like to receive a copy of your report with unmasked data, please submit your request in writing, with a clear indication of what information you would like to receive unmasked.

If you are visually impaired and would like to receive your ChexSystems Consumer Disclosure Report in Braille, large print, or audio CD, call 855.472.2911.

If you are hearing impaired, you can contact ChexSystems through a TDD Relay Operator by calling 7-1-1 and referring the operator to 800.428.9623.

Click here for information on how to submit a request to receive your consumer disclosure report in Spanish.

You have a right to dispute any information in your consumer file that you believe may be inaccurate or incomplete. Click here to obtain information about how to submit your dispute.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published a summary of your rights under the FCRA. This information can be found by selecting the following link:  ChexSystems FCRA Summary of Rights.

Although not required, supporting documentation may be included with your dispute to assist with the reinvestigation. Documentation may include, but is not limited to:

• Identity Theft Affidavit
• Police Report
• Account Statements
• Paid or settled in full letters
• Death certificate

If a reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, you may be entitled to add a brief statement to your consumer file describing the nature of your dispute of the information. This statement would be included in the delivery of your consumer report to any party inquiring about you.

• Your statement must not exceed 100 words (200 words for residents of the state of Maine).
• Your statement must not include the names of other individuals or businesses.
• Your statement must pertain to the information contained in your consumer file.
• Your statement must not contain profanity.
• If you choose to include personal information, such as medical data, in the content of your consumer statement, that information will not be masked or removed and will be included in the delivery of your consumer report to any party inquiring about you.
• If you would like assistance in writing a clear summary of your dispute statement, contact Chex Systems, Inc. using the information listed at the bottom of the page.

To provide your statement in writing, complete, print, and mail the Request for Consumer Statement form to ChexSystems. If you choose not to use the form, you must include information that will allow us to identify your consumer file, such as your ChexSystems Consumer ID number, your full name, and your Social Security number.

Identity theft happens when someone else uses your personal information to open accounts or obtain goods or services.

Identity Theft Summary of Rights
Notice of Rights by State

OnAlert® from ChexSystems is a unique offering of ID theft protection, financial education and consumer monitoring services.

Click here to learn more about OnAlert.

Click here to learn more about Security Freeze.

Click here to learn more about Security Alert.

The following information is required in order to block adverse information resulting from human trafficking:

• Your name, Social Security number, date of birth, current mailing address, email address
• Your preferred method of contact
• A statement that you are a victim of human trafficking
• Identification of the adverse information you are requesting be blocked
• Trafficking documentation in the form of any letter, report or other type of document that includes a determination of human trafficking made by:
  • a Federal, State or Tribal government entity,
  • a court of competent jurisdiction,
  • a non-governmental organization or a member of a human trafficking task force, including victim service providers affiliated with such organizations or task forces, that are authorized to make such a determination.
  • a self-certifying statement signed by a member of any entity listed above.

 

You may submit an online request to block information using the Consumer Portal. Log in to the Consumer Portal or register for an account using the buttons above. If you wish to submit a human trafficking block request online:

• Trafficking documentation must be attached to the request.
• Correspondence will be sent to you using the delivery method associated with your portal account.
• If you are unable to attach documentation, the request cannot be processed online.

To submit your request by mail, or to have correspondence regarding this request sent to an alternate mailing address, please mail your request to one of the following addresses:

Chex Systems, Inc.
PO Box 581555
Minneapolis, MN  55458

Or

Chex Systems, Inc.
PO Box 583399
Minneapolis, MN  55458

 

Your request and supporting documentation will be reviewed within 4 business days after it is received by ChexSystems.

If you have questions, or you would like to speak with someone in confidence, about how to submit your request for a block of adverse information due to human trafficking, you may contact us at 833.990.0732.

You may submit a complaint to ChexSystems by:

You may contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by:

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumer credit reporting agencies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make prescreened offers of credit or insurance that are not initiated by you. To learn more about prescreened offers of credit, visit the Consumer Information page of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website.

The FCRA also provides you the right to opt out, which prevents consumer credit reporting agencies from providing your credit file information for prescreened offers. If you choose to opt out, your name and address will be removed from the lists these offers are based on. You may opt out with the nationwide credit bureaus at 888.5 OPTOUT (888.567.8688). You may opt out with ChexSystems at 877.OPTOUT 5 (877.678.6885). You may also click here to submit an online request to opt out with ChexSystems.

Consumers under the age of 21 will not be considered for prescreened offers unless specific consent is provided. If you are under 21 and would like Chex Systems, Inc. to allow prescreened offers of credit and insurance for you, your explicit consent must be submitted in writing to Chex Systems, Inc., Attn: Consumer Relations at PO Box 583399, Minneapolis, MN  55458.

If you are submitting a request on behalf of someone other than yourself, and that person is not a minor, you must submit the request by mail and you must include the following documentation authorizing ChexSystems to communicate with and provide information to you:

• A notarized Power of Attorney or
• A notarized copy of specific written instructions signed by the consumer

If you are submitting a request on behalf of a minor, you must submit the request by mail and you must include all of the following documentation:

• A copy of the minor's birth certificate
• A legible copy of the minor's Social Security card
• A legible copy of the parent or legal guardian's driver's license or state identification card
• Proof of address for the parent or legal guardian (in the form of a pay stub, utility bill or other official document bearing the address to which correspondence is to be sent)
• If your name does not appear on the birth certificate, a copy of a document confirming legal guardianship is required. The proof of guardianship must be an official court or other legally binding document.

We are required by law to communicate directly with the individual to whom the information pertains. We strictly adhere to this to protect consumer privacy. To communicate with anyone else, we must first receive a notarized Power of Attorney or notarized specific written instructions, signed by the consumer whose information is being requested, authorizing us to communicate with and disclose information to the person named in the notarized document.

Chex Systems, Inc. (ChexSystems) defines standard proof of identity as the following information. Keep in mind that there may be instances where ChexSystems requests other information as needed to complete your request.

• Name
• Social Security Number
• Driver's License or State Identification
• Current Address
• Previous Addresses

We ask for this information to ensure that we make a complete and accurate search and are able to identify and provide you with all information that may pertain to you.

Identifying Information means any name or number that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific person, including any: Name, social security number, date of birth, official state or government issued driver's license or identification number, alien registration number, government passport number, employer or taxpayer identification number; unique biometric data, such as fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image, or other unique physical representation; unique electronic identification number, address, or routing code; or Telecommunication identifying information or access device.

Visit our Military Service Members and Families page to review helpful information and resources for active-duty and retired service members and their families. Have questions or need assistance? ChexSystems’ contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.

A data breach is an event that occurs when secure data is accessed by, or inadvertently released to, unauthorized individuals.

Data breaches can be caused by security system failures or malfunctions, unapproved posting or sharing of sensitive data via email or to public internet sites, social engineering attacks and other compromised information technology security measures. Data breaches may include the theft or loss of computers, hard drives, digital media or other data storage devices or platforms. Data breaches can be accidental but, in some cases, they are the result of criminal acts targeting sensitive data with the intent of fraud.

Upon receipt of appropriate documentation of death from an authorized person representing the consumer's estate, ChexSystems will review the matter to determine if information that may be on file can be removed.

Appropriate proof of death includes, but is not limited to, death certificates and letters of testamentary from the consumer’s executor, personal representative, or other authorized person representing the consumer’s estate.

• Your financial institution could charge you fees for each overdraft
• The place you wrote the check could also charge you a fee, or refuse to take anymore checks from you
• You could receive calls and letters asking you to repay the money
• Your name and account information could be reported to a check verification service which could cause your checks to be declined at point of sale
• Your bank could close your account
• Your bank could report your closed account to ChexSystems, as a result, other banks could refuse to open an account for you

ChexSystems currently supports online transactions using Mozilla Firefox (version 97), Google Chrome (version 98), Apple Safari (version 15.2), and Microsoft Edge (version 97) or higher browsers. ChexSystems recognizes the privacy of the information you provide to us and takes steps to ensure the privacy and security of consumer transactions. We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt internet transactions, which makes it safe to enter and transmit personal information over the Internet.

To see how ChexSystems uses your information, please see Chex Systems, Inc. Privacy Policy.

When you are on a secure page, you will see a lock icon displayed in the address bar. You will also see "https" preceding the URL.

In order to complete the forms electronically, please save a copy of the form to your computer. Complete the form, save the information, and name the file. You will then have the ability to print the form and mail it to ChexSystems.

ChexSystems’ contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.