Something every person with a checking account dreads is getting their name on a ChexSystems report. Fortunately it doesn't have to be the end of the world that it might seem, at the time.

What makes it all the more annoying is the thought that we are in the midst of a recession brought about by the very banking system that is now condemning you for some minor misdemeanor.

And it doesn't seem to matter how slight the mistake on your part was -- or even if it was your fault. I've heard of good folks who have paid in checks and only subsequently found they bounced. In the meantime, they may have drawn on some of these funds in good faith. But that's still quite enough to get their account closed.

And it gets even worse, because your name will be lumped together with those of people who have attempted to really defraud the banking system, using false ID and the like. Nor will your previous exemplary conduct of your checking account add any mitigation.

What's more, your name will stay on the ChexSystems black list for five years.

Of course, it is an affront to our sense of natural justice that this can happen and it is possible to fight such a move -- in theory.

In practice, of course, you can ill afford the time to take on the legal system whilst you are struggling to keep your life on an even keel without a checking account and possibly even lacking funds your bank may have frozen.

But there are ways you can lift the ChexSystems Curse from your shoulders and here are the pros and cons.

ChexSystems in an agency that networks with member banks to share information about customers they would prefer not to have. Not all banks are members of this network and so don't pass information to the network and so aren't eligible to receive intel from it.

Non ChexSystems Banks:

There are a small number of banks that don't use ChexSystems because they do not belong to the ChexSystems network and so don't refer to ChexSystems in their risk assessments of new clients. These are worth hunting down, particularly if they offer bank accounts for people on chexsystems and don't restrict their operations to local clients. But you need to be alert to any extra charges, such a monthly fee for a checking account.

Banks that do not use ChexSystems:

There are some banks which, whilst they are members of the ChexSystems network, don't refer to ChexSystems when opening bank accounts for people on ChexSystems. Some banks will refer to the list, but will still accept you if there was no fraud involved. These are probably the best bet if your infraction was a minor one, because everything will then be in the open.

I say this because, in some cases, the bank who will open a checking account and -- only when the account has been validated with your signatures and you have started to use the account -- will they run a ChexSystems check. Alternatively, they might run a random ChexSystems sweep at some time in the future.

ChexSystems help is at hand to make sure your life isn't ruined by being denied a checking account.

Visit: ChexSystemsHelp for the bank that will not hold your ChexSystems listing against you.