By grant
The first thing on a new business owner’s to-do list should be opening a business bank account. An account in your company’s name provides a separation between personal and business finances. It also establishes legitimacy in the eyes of potential customers and creditors.
Most people expect lenders to scrutinize their credit history during the loan application process. Yet what about when you open a business savings or checking account?
Bankers don’t necessarily demand good FICO scores to open a business bank account. However, poor scores could bar you from certain credit-based banking services like overdraft protection.
When discussing how credit history impacts business types of accounts, it’s vital first to understand the distinction between business and personal credit. Your brand-new business has no credit history of its own. Therefore, a business banking account application will trigger inquiries into your personal financial history — primarily if you operate as a sole proprietor.
As you build your business credit profile, bankers begin relying less on your consumer scores and more on your company’s track record. Maintaining separate bank accounts and credit reports means you can:
Opening a business checking account is the first step toward separating your personal and business credit and finances. It will give you a central location to pay your bills and business expenses and help you streamline your bookkeeping.
When you submit your application for a commercial bank account, the banker will look at multiple sources of information before approving your request. This can include your ChexSystems profile data and credit history.
ChexSystems is a consumer reporting agency that collects data from banks regarding their customers’ activity. Its process is similar to the way credit bureaus collect information from creditors. Instead of late payments and debt to limit ratios, however, ChexSystems reports on your history of bounced checks and overdraft fees.
If a banker sees a pattern of poor bank account management in your ChexSystems profile, they may deny your business account application. At that point, you could request a free copy of your ChexSystems report to see the data for yourself. This could help clarify the reason behind the denial.
If you spot incorrect information on your report, you can file a dispute to have that data removed. Once you resolve any outstanding issues or bank debts, you’ll be clear to open a business bank account.
Banks and credit unions don’t typically run hard inquiries with credit reporting agencies when evaluating your checking account application. However, they’ll probably perform a soft pull to check out your business and personal credit scores. This will give your banker a stronger sense of your financial picture.
Low consumer and business credit scores could limit your access to specific account features. For example, overdraft protection is a standard service that helps you dodge penalties for non-sufficient funds. If your account balance runs low, shortages can be covered by a savings account or a bank line of credit.
If the bank’s inquiry comes back and deems you uncreditworthy, you may not qualify for overdraft protection or other credit-based features.
Though you don’t need a high credit score to open a business bank account, poor credit history and a track record of negative banking activity could limit your options. If you’re concerned about being turned down for a business bank account, shop around for a bank or credit union that doesn’t use ChexSystems.
Once your business bank account is up and running, you could be eligible for a broader range of funding opportunities. This includes the new Revenued Business Card. Your Revenued account needs to be associated with a business bank or credit union account to be activated.
You also need a minimum of $10,000 in monthly sales, an average daily balance of $1,000, and carry a negative balance no more than three days in a month.
Call our customer service staff at +1 (877) 662-3489 right now to find out if you qualify for the Revenued Business Card.
Also, join the Revenued Card waitlist to be the first to know when any of our breakthrough financial tools become available.
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