Early Warning Services, or simply Early Warning, is a company that financial institutions use to help protect accounts from fraud. According to Federal Trade Commission data, consumers reported losing about $16 billion to fraud in 2025.
Early Warning helps banks spot and flag fraud by analyzing account activity and confirming customer identities. At the same time, the information it collects to help banks fight fraud can also affect whether you’re able to open a bank account.
Who’s behind Early Warning?
The company is co-owned by some of the largest banks in the U.S.: Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, Truist, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.
It’s also the company that operates Zelle, the peer-to-peer payment system used by more than 2,400 banks and credit union apps. And it runs Paze, a digital wallet for online checkout, and Certos, which provides fraud and identity tools to banks and other businesses.
How does Early Warning help banks fight fraud?
Similar to ChexSystems, Early Warning collects information about consumers from contributing financial institutions, analyzes the data and passes those details along to other financial institutions. Its products are used to confirm customers’ identities and verify the validity of deposits, payments and new accounts. The information helps institutions prevent fraud and assess risk by providing a clearer picture of your banking history.
If a bank turns down your application for an account, negative information in your Early Warning report may be the reason.
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What to do if you’re denied a bank account based on an Early Warning report
1. Start by requesting your Early Warning report so you can review it.
Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can get a free copy at least once every 12 months. You can send your request through Early Warning’s online Secure Transfer Portal. If you have any questions, you can call them at 1-800-745-1560.
Checking your report has no effect on your credit scores. When you request it, you’ll need to provide basic information to verify your identity. This includes your Social Security number, date of birth, address and a copy of your driver’s license, passport or other government ID.
The report includes your bank account numbers, status, activity and balance. It also includes a list of companies that have checked your file recently. And it has personal details like your name, addresses and phone numbers. Review the details carefully to make sure everything is accurate. Your report could also contain negative information from a bank account you had before. For example, there could be an unpaid negative balance on an account that was closed by the bank.
2. If any information appears to be missing or inaccurate, you can notify Early Warning and file a dispute.
3. If the information is correct, you'll have a clearer picture of what's needed to resolve any issues. For example, if there’s a negative balance on an account that was closed by a bank, you could pay it off and request that your file be updated. It's also worth noting that, according to Early Warning, negative items drop off after five years.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Early Warning and ChexSystems do for bank accounts what Equifax, Experian and TransUnion do for credit. If a bank turns you down because of a report, it must tell you which company supplied it. You can then request the report and review it for accuracy.A negative report doesn’t end your options
Being turned down for one account doesn’t mean you’re shut out of banking. You may qualify for a second-chance checking account, which can be a good option if you’ve been turned down for a standard account because of your banking history.
These accounts can help you rebuild that history, though they might not offer some features or services that come with regular checking accounts.
You can also try banks that will look past negative records.
Understanding how Early Warning works can help you know what to do if its information ever affects your ability to open an account.
