ChexSystems is national consumer credit reporting agency (similar to Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) that focuses on deposit accounts. For a long time you could request your ChexSystems report online, but it would be sent out via mail and would take up to 10 business days. You can now request and receive it online (and save it as a PDF).
Having a copy of your ChexSystems report can be useful for those chasing bank account bonuses as some financial institutions are ChexSystems sensitive (can’t have too many new accounts). Not all financial institutions will pull your ChexSystems report.
I received my Chex report on 11/16 and I noticed something new: a lot of the inquiries within the past year now list where the public record information was pulled from. Almost all of them listed Lexis Nexis but one listed TransUnion.
I don’t know if this information could be useful in any way. Would freezing Lexis Nexis but keeping Chex unfrozen still allow a Chex pull but prevent a Chex inquiry? Or would that just break the security questions used for identity verification within applications?
Examples:
Public record information on file at Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions was utilized for this
inquiry. Should you wish to request your file disclosure from Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions you
may contact them at: LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105108,
Atlanta, GA 30348-5108, Phone number: 1-866-897-8126
Information on file at TransUnion credit bureau was utilized for this inquiry. Should you
wish to request your file disclosure from TransUnion you may contact them at: TransUnion
Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022, Phone number: 1-800-916-8800
My report from 11/14 did not have that info, but it does today. It is interesting, but not surprised. We knew LexisNexis (LN) used to have summary info on our Chex reports, and Transunion (TU) is soft pulling Chex and posting our Chex numbers once each month. I also knew that most banks that pull Chex also pull LN. I guess we now know that every Chex bank either pulls TU or LN (the majority use LN) for ID info.
I can tell you that when I had an unintended freeze on my SageStream (part of LN), some of the banks I applied to would tell me I was denied for Chex. When I pushed for answers, they said it was a 3rd party freeze was the denial reason. So, I don’t think this info does us much good, other than if someone has a track record of being denied at banks that use TU, and approved at banks that use LN, or vice versa.
There is a pretty short list of banks that will still approve an application with Chex frozen that would have pulled it if they had the chance… Citi, Fifth Third, First FL CU, Amex are the ones that come to mind. (hoping DoC will make a separate page for DP’s on this) I know freezing Chex did NOT work at M&T and BMO… instantly denied with Chex frozen, instantly approved with it thawed minutes later. Citizens was the same way for me, but occasionally someone gets through without a Chex inquiry. We can tell the Chex freeze was successful when we still get approved and there is a “soft pull” Inquiry Viewed Only by You on Chex by the bank for the same day.
Some banks pull Chex directly without going through LN or TU. I see them on the report sandwiched between dates for which either LN or TU is showing (I’m aware that only 2014 has this information).
Agreed, but most Chex banks are getting the additional info that comes with the linkage. I think most are using Chex for deposit account worthiness, and LN/TU for ID info.
Logically, I hear what you are saying in prior comments, that they have the potential to access all this info and can see LN inquiries. But, is their system setup for this? They, or the automated system, has a few seconds to review an account application and aren’t doing a deep dive.
It looks like almost every bank pulls Chex via LexisNexis, which makes me wonder if disputing Chex inquiries makes much of a difference. Unless LexisNexis only relays the information from Chex for those banks that go that route (I see some LexisNexis inquiries that are not on Chex).
That would explain why some banks are approving apps even with Chex frozen, presumably they are using LexisNexis records instead.
Yeah I’m not sure how the interaction between Chex and Lexis Nexis works, but I’d like to exploit this knowledge if possible somehow (less Chex inquiries, better approval odds, better dispute outcomes, etc.).
Here is what I think I know before this very recent change in Chex report you noticed, which is open to correction.
When a bank uses Chex for account approval, they can base their decision on the applicant’s Chex report, or the applicant’s Chex report and Chex score. In the latter case, the bank needs to pay extra for the Chex score service.
If the bank uses Chex score, they need to access LexisNexis which provides information on the applicant’s property and wealth for calculating the Chex score.
If the bank only uses Chex report, I do not think it is necessary for the bank to access LexisNexis.
Not sure if any changes have been made to the interaction between Chex and LexisNexis given the change in Chex report.
Not saying you are wrong, but I feel like very few banks ever mention Chex score (sometimes mentioned as QualiFile score), yet, most Chex banks pull LexisNexis. But, banks hold their cards close to the chest and don’t reveal all that they know, so it wouldn’t surprise me if you are correct.
I am thinking functionally no changes have been made in bank operations, but the Chex report is culling an extra data element that we didn’t normally see.
I feel like I already addressed your concern here: #1430552
However, I don’t work at a bank and just a stooge with a lot of experience opening accounts.
Most of the ones that approve with Chex frozen aren’t pulling LexisNexis, but instead relying on EWS. First FL CU is probably the exception and probably not on EWS. However, I didn’t expect Vystar CU to be hooked up with EWS and they are.
Wasn’t Amex and eTrade another example that approve with Chex frozen but don’t pull EWS?
What are your thoughts about inquiries showing on LN but not on Chex? Maybe they only care about identity verification as opposed to bounced checks 😉
Yeah, I am sure there are other banks that don’t pull Chex or EWS, but AMEX would pull Chex is it is not frozen, IIRC. Not sure about eTrade.
I’d assume, yes, they are using LN for ID, and not necessarily for inquiries, but use LN and other reports for worthiness. I am sure banks get sold software packages and that’s why we so much similarity in how they operate.
Very interesting…so all the chex pulls we thought we were getting were actually LN pulls that indirectly pull chex, but LN reported the FI as the requesting party? Last time I got my LN report there were very few inquiries..
I wouldn’t look at it that way. The banks get sold a software package and what level of service they choose causes a Chex inquiry plus using TU or LN for public record ID info.
Not sure why your LN inquiry list would have been short. Mine is packed with almost every Chex inquiry shadow. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/banks-credit-unions-dodont-pull-chexsystems/#comment-1430105
Probably need to get a new LN report, but it seems the Chex inquiries are coming from LN/TU, which indicates the FI are buying a service that queries them first and then they query chex on behalf of the FI. Otherwise why would the chex inquiry even reference LN/TU? Is the FI including LN/TU info in the chex inquiry? I guess we’ll never know…
Is there any limit on how many times we can request the Chex Consumer Score Report?
See #1855209
atl_dealhunter
When we do a temporary lift on the Chex security freeze online, is it immediate or does it take couple of hours because I didn’t get any correspondence in the portal after the lift?
Gadget - Bank Bonus Geek
Curious on this too. I thawed for two days and then applied for the PNC biz account. Went pending and then denied. No reason given. First time I’ve been denied so wondered if that was the issue.
It is immediate lift if done online, I confirmed with CSR from Chex.
Thank you. Guess PNC just sucks ☺️
Correct. You can verify this by pulling your Chex report and if it’s lifted/thawed, the freeze won’t be listed on the 1st page.
Chex must have done some systems reconfiguration. It no longer takes 30+ seconds to confirm your address when logging into the portal. (Now it’s like 5 seconds)
However, I noticed the Chex report is taking a little longer to generate, and even one time gave an error stating it was unavailable. Plus the Chex score report runs at around midnight Eastern, based on my what I am seeing over the last couple of days. My score used to be available within minutes
One can hope they are doing a phased implementation/hardware refresh and the kinks will be worked out.
You’re right! It does take about 5 seconds or less for it to confirm your personal information/details when logging into the portal. However, the dispute tab still doesn’t work for me sadly where it allows me to view ChexSystems consumer report info without generating one online. I still have to get around to calling to finding out more about that issue.
My last Chex score report:
8/11/2024, 12:59 PM – Requested
8/13/2024, 12:58 PM – Available (received)
Ok, thank you. Guess it’s my turn to be linked to the bad server. (someone else mentioned awhile back that reports were delayed)
As long as the freezes/thaws are instant, and I have access to the dispute tab, I’m ok.
Confirmation of your post that yes, mine is also taking a long time (two days). 😉
Russian roulette apparently… just had almost instant score report. 😝
The score that I see myself is quite different than what the email from one of the banks mentioned. Any idea? It’s a difference of 100.
I have noticed that too, on the very few banks that provide the Chex score. But if I pull my score myself, it’s quite different. More than what a single additional pull should be…
If you want me to take a guess… when a bank/CU subscribes to the scoring service they might get to tailor the weight of certain aspects? Or maybe it’s like FICO and Vantage score, where there are different versions?
I’ve logged into my Chex account 3 times in the past week or so. All 3 times, a blank screen appeared and I needed to exit the screen and then clicked on “Login” and then it worked. Has this happened to any of you?
How long does it take you to receive your requests? I posted about having to wait days back in April and am still having the issue. Just curious if this is the new norm for everyone. IIRC, I used to get them in my portal instantly.
I seem to recall a short stint when P2 did not get them instantly and would get an email later, in a day. I just tried, and it was “instant” for the Chex report… as the page loads, really more like 45 seconds. And, for the score report, maybe a couple of minutes later, she gets a link via email.
Hi Gadget,
How many Chex report can require in one month?
There is a limit of 3 times every 14 days, per method (online/phone/mail). It says this on the report request page.
However, if you sign up for Chex portal access, it’s probably unlimited. Even if it’s not, from the portal, you can access the dispute tab and it’s available anytime to see the most important info.
AD
Hi Gadget,
Has ChexSystems changed this lately now in Aug. 2024 where it’s all available to see anytime? When I log online to click on the dispute tab (and this is after I had generated & received a report online via the portal), it loads a blank dashboard screen for the consumer disclosure – dispute webpage where the error pop-up message simply states the following: “We are unable to process your Dispute. Please contact ChexSystems at 800.428.9623 for assistance with this request.” followed by a green button that forcefully takes you back to your dashboard/main homepage.
The menu items/tabs that are visible in the blank (not filled out with my actual information) background included things like name, address, email address, phone, DOB all under the heading of Consumer ID for. Therefore, has this shortcut trick stopped working to view a full ChexSystems report via the dispute screen once logged into your portal and without actually generating one/the PDF file to download? Thanks for any insight you can give.
I’ve had the same issue ever since being able to access the Chex portal and I believe
ShawntheShawn has as well. I haven’t gotten around to calling them to get it fixed, but you can still manually dispute items without logging in.
Yes, I’ve had the same issue since day 1. It really does not bother me, so I just leave it as it is.
mothman69 
Mr. Chemist
I checked P1 & my P2 Chex logins just now and we don’t have any issues getting to the dispute tab. I’d give them a call.
Mr. Chemist
Hi Gadget,
Thanks for letting me know! It seems like it’s not a universal problem or company-wide policy decision then. I hope it’s not account-specific but I suspect it may be. I don’t know if the feature becomes unlocked after a certain amount of time/no longer being an “newer” account user. Hopefully, I’m able to get some useful answers over the phone then since I’m having the same issue as Mothman69 unfortunately.
All day today I am receiving:
“Unknown Error
Your request could not be processed because of a technical issue. Please try again later or contact ChexSystems at 800.513.7125.”
But dispute tab won’t show the score right? Does it?
Correct, it does not. You have to run the Chex Score Report to get the score.
So, we can get our score 3 times in 14 day period? I believe I generated my report more than that and it worked.
Yes. But, those were the rules when using the external site to pull the Chex report.
I specifically said in my comment that using the portal to pull the Chex Report, not sure there is a limit.
“However, if you sign up for Chex portal access, it’s probably unlimited.”
It’s not like anything bad happens if you exceed the limit. It will just give an error. They don’t mail you a bill or take away your birthday.
Maybe the score report doesn’t have the same limit?
I’m not worried about getting charged, just trying to understand is there any limit in getting your score report.
BTW, thanks for responding to every single comment so fast. I always wonder how do you get notification for every single comment added in every single page here in DOC. I juayy figured out you can subscribe to all comments in each page.
I subscribe to the page, so yes, I get notifications.
atl_dealhunter
The score is not going to change that much, unless you get a Chex inquiry, and then it goes up as time goes by.
I don’t understand the need to pull your score so many times though, because banks don’t tell you what score they accept. And, just like with credit scores and applying for credit cards, score isn’t everything the bank looks at, even if mentioned on the denial/adverse action.
Based on whatever I learned from few from this site, I started building a to do list where I will note down my beifrr and after Chex score so that it might be useful when I chuen again or answer anyone’s question. That is the reason I’m checking my score often.
Do you mean that you found a way to subscribe to all comments from every page on DoC or did you just mean that you can subscribe to all comments from each individual post?
If the former, I have no interest in doing this but I am curious if it’s actually an option. If the latter, I’m surprised that you didn’t already know about this as you seem to comment in a lot of posts. Had you been going to the “Recent Comments” page to view new comments like some others do?
🤦♂️🤦♂️ unfortunately I was going to recent comments and manually checking for updates. I feel really bad now.
As I like to say, it’s better late than never. 😉
I want to let you know about the below post just in case you weren’t aware of it.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/how-to-get-an-image-next-to-your-comment-on-doctor-of-credit/
Thanks for the link. I’m able to add picture to my profile. It is lot better now.
I got this error message:
We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we are unable to process this request online. Please Contact ChexSystems to submit your request using another method. You may also call 1-800-428-9623 and select Other Options for assistance with this request. Refer to error code 801.
How do I fix this problem? Thanks!
Call. You may be one of the unfortunate souls that cannot pull the report online. Ask and see what they say.
DB
@Gadget,
Thank you very much!
code 801 is a technical error. I got in using Brave so I swapped to Chrome and everything worked
Did you get in? I’m getting the same error (VPN from Vietnam though, hah)
I had the same problem. Customer rep said error 801 means you have a VPN, cookie or pop up blocking. I turned that off and tried again and it worked just fine to register.
I just logged into Chex and all of my information was blank on the “Confirm Your Details” page that comes up. I clicked on “Edit Profile” instead of “Confirm”.
Fortunately, all of my info was there so I didn’t have to make any changes. I then clicked on “Home” and my details displayed this time on the “Confirm Your Details” page and I clicked on “Confirm”.
I just wanted to give a heads up in case this happens to any of you in the future that there’s likely no need to worry.
Is it common to have to wait 25+ minutes to get a ChexSystems report? Filled out a request at 10:30 pm and it’s still processing the report!
Not for me. It has always been available within seconds online after I requested it.
Is it taking days to get a score and report in the portal? I requested both about 4 days ago and got the report yesterday, but still waiting on the score. I have a freeze on my acct. IDK if that’s a factor.
I don’t know if you saw my comments in a couple of posts yesterday but OnAlert, which is run by ChexSystems, seems to be having issues sending out emails when inquiries are done. The issue that you encountered makes me think that Chex is having some big issues.
Thanks. Finally got the score.