A question only the financially naive would ask, but ...

[warren pease]

How do you cash a check without a bank account? The issuing bank is back east with no local presence that I'm aware of. I'm on an all cash, account-free basis since a period during which I had to short-sell the house, lost the car to the repo man, and maxed out credit cards (yeah, I know how stupid that is, but try telling your wife she has to deal with the pain from that abscessed tooth because I don't want to put $8K -- that we don't have -- on a card).

Anyway, without going to one of those seedy, usurious check-cashing places, is there a way to cash a legitimate check -- backed by adequate funds -- without an account someplace?

Oh, and that checking worthiness service whose name escapes me won't let me have a new account because of my recent history of scofflawism.

Yes, the Bush Economic Miracle has been very, very good to me...


Thanks in advance,

sf

[2Design]

1. no good answer - open a credit union account - most cities

have a credit union you can join if you live in that county - I think it cost $5 and you would not have access to the funds right away but it would help in the future - most places won't cash a third party check

[Lisa0825]

2. Do you know someone well enough to ask them to deposit it for you?

It has been many years since I have done this, so I don't know if things have changed, but it used to be that if you endorsed the check, anyone could deposit it. So if you got a friend to deposit the check in his/her account, and wait for the bank to process it, then he/she could give you the cash. Most banks have up to 5 business days to cash checks nowadays.