Bank on California
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facts

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

  • Nationally, as many as 28 million people are unbanked
  • One in five Californians does not have a checking account
  • Nearly half of Californians do not have a savings account
  • The average unbanked worker will throw away more than $40,000 over a lifetime to cash checks and pay bills
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor quote seal of the governor

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.

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

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