Getting out

# Banking and credit

Opening an account is often harder than people expect, and the reason usually is not your conviction.

The real reason

## Why the account gets denied

Banks screen new accounts through consumer reporting systems that track prior account closures, unpaid overdrafts, and fraud flags. If you left an account overdrawn years ago, or if an account was closed while you were inside, that record follows you and it is what causes the denial.

The fix

## What to do

- Request your own report from the account screening agencies, which you are entitled to, and find out what is actually on it;
- dispute anything inaccurate;
- pay off an old negative balance if one exists, and get it marked settled;
- look for second-chance checking products, which most large banks and many credit unions offer specifically for this;
- and try a local credit union, which will frequently talk to you like a person.

The other file

## Credit

Pull all three credit reports immediately. Two things commonly happened while you were gone: accounts went to collections, and someone may have used your identity, which is more common for incarcerated people than most realize.

Rebuilding is slow and mechanical. A secured card, used lightly and paid in full monthly, is the standard route. Avoid anything marketed as credit repair.

Keep reading — part 5 of 12

### [Housing](/going-in/getting-out/housing)

The hardest practical problem after release, and the one with the fewest good answers.

**Need help with this? Just ask.**

These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. **Answers are free** , and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.

[josh@federalprisondude.com](mailto:josh@federalprisondude.com?subject=Getting%20out%20question)

I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.