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What Do I Need to Open a Checking Account?

Personal Finances 2 min read

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What do you need to open a checking account? It can vary a little from bank to bank but there are typically some fundamental necessities needed to open a checking account.

First Bank has five levels of checking accounts, each with varying conditions and capabilities. But let’s start with the basics that hold true for any checking account:

What You Need to Open a Checking Account

  1. Identification. You will be required to show a picture ID in order to open a checking account such as a driver’s license, passport or military ID card.
  2. Personal information. Basic information such as name, address, telephone number, date of birth and social security number.
  3. Deposit. You’ll need a small minimum amount of money to make the initial deposit into the account.
  4. Clean record. Before opening a new checking account, a most banks will run a consumer report of your previous banking relationships to make sure you don’t have a record of charged-off accounts or fraudulent activity. A bank will sometimes allow you to still open a new account provided you repay the charged off account.

Types of Checking Accounts

Let’s take a look at First Bank’s five personal checking account options.

  • Everywhere Checking. This is our most fundamental checking account.
  • Everywhere Plus. This option allows you to earn interest on your balance.
  • Everywhere Premium. Earn interest plus enjoy some additional perks such as an unlimited number of out-of-network ATM transactions with no First Bank fee.
  • Campus Checking. Students under the age of 25 get the benefit of a checking account free of a minimum balance requirement and monthly maintenance fees.
  • Senior Checking. Customers age 55 and older can be fee-free with direct deposit and get free checks.

Contact First Bank Today

Visit your local First Bank and one of our friendly associates will help you with what you need to open a checking account. Or use our Compare Accounts feature to see which checking account is right for you.

Read more about this topic: What Is Required to Open a Business Checking Account?, Finance 101: Banking Basics.

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Sources:

Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/minimum-balance.asp

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