Identification

• To open a new checking account you will need a driver's license, military identification, passport or state identification. Most checking accounts require you to make a deposit between $25 and $100.
  
  

Considerations

• As part of the verification process the bank will confirm that you are not on Chex Systems, which is a data base of consumers who owe a financial institution money because they did not pay nonsufficient-fund fees or return-check fees, or they abused their account in some way.
  
  

Time Frame

• If everything checks out, the checking account is opened and the customer is assigned a checking account number. Checks are ordered for the customer, which take 7 to 10 days to arrive.
  
  

Features

• While the customer is waiting for her checks to arrive in the mail, the bank will issue some temporary bank starter checks. Unlike the customer's own checks, these starter checks will not have the customer's name and address--but they will have the bank routing number and the customer's checking account number.
  
  

Function

• The bank starter checks will start with the number 001 through 005. Most banks issue customers five starter checks, but it can vary from bank to bank. These checks can be used until the regular checks are received.
  
  

Warning

• Customers need to write their name and addresses at the top of the starter check prior to mailing one out. Once a check is mailed to pay a debt, the customer should log the information into his check register just as he would his normal checks.
  
  

Benefits

• Starter checks are not returned to the customer after they are cashed, but a truncated copy will be included with the monthly statement.