OK, here's what I think. (1) I have never heard of a bank doing credit checks when opening a checking account. It's possible, but probably only the scummiest of banks do this. That's a non-problem. (2) I would work very hard to clear that payment up because if it gets on your credit report, it's not going anywhere for 7 years. It's likely that in the next 7 years you're gunna wanna find a place to rent and no one will rent to a bad credit risk. (One can typically live without credit cards, new cars, or houses; living without renting is quite tricky, unless you can live with friends for 7 years...) Check out www.privacyrights.org (I think that's it); there's a phone number you can call to get advice on clearing up your credit report if in fact, it's fucked up. Good luck. It's really a fucked up and pretty shitty system.