Bank on California
facts

Too many Californians conduct their financial lives outside the financial mainstream:

  • Nationally, as many as 28 million people are unbanked
  • One in five low-income Californians does not have a checking account
  • Nearly half of Californians do not have a savings account
  • A full-time worker without a checking account could potentially save as much as $40,000during his career by relying on a lower-cost checking account instead of check-cashing services

Time is running out

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By opening a bank account, you can take an important step toward financial security. With a free or low-cost account, you can start to save for the future and establish a credit history that will help you enter the financial mainstream and achieve your dreams.

Without a bank account, the average person will spend 5% of their income at check cashers each year. This means that by having a bank account, you could save around $800 a year.
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Finding a bank or credit union is the first step. The staffs of participating banks and credit unions are trained to answer questions and walk you through each step of the process. To set up a free or low-cost account, you need a valid ID. Many forms of ID are accepted, including passports, California IDs, Mexican Matricula cards, and more.

See accepted IDs
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To better serve their communities, the cities listed have already joined the initiative. The number of participating cities will continue to grow as the partnership extends throughout all of California.

See participating cities


These banks and credit unions have partnered with us to help reach even more unbanked Californians.

See participating Banks
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