I feel like people (other than on DU) don't get that the grid keeps you off once you're off

[SheilaT]

78. Around 15 years ago my brother had his bank account

closed because of a bounced check. He'd lost his job (the details don't matter at this point) and lived off his savings until they ran out, he bounced a rent check and was going to be evicted when we (his family) learned of this. Long story short, we had him come live with one sibling for about a year, then with another one, me. I got him to apply for a seasonal job at a big box store where he still works, doing overnight stocking. But he couldn't open a checking account because of that closure, and for the first few months I'd cash his check through my account, until my bank told me they wouldn't do it any more.

His big box store has a branch of a local bank inside, so I suggested he go talk to them about this and they were willing to open an account for him. So in this case, because of those very specific circumstances, he was able to get back on the grid.

He was lucky in that once his siblings found out what was going on, we were willing and able to pitch in to help him out, financially and otherwise. Not everyone is so lucky.

Closing an account for adverse reasons is bad enough, but what's far worse is being unable to open a new one.

In a slightly related matter, about twenty years ago my husband was an IT guy at a company, and they were switching over to direct deposit. Several employees actually quit because they did not want to have to open a checking account, and at least one person was hiding his income from an ex-wife. The others, from what my husband said, simply didn't want to be that involved in "the system". Which I thought was weird. Eventually those people will have to get a checking account somewhere, because Social Security only does direct deposit.