Money and membership
Official links to institutions people in Detroit and Wayne County can actually join, with the membership rule stated up front. Open the account on the institution's own website. We never ask for your account numbers, your Social Security number, or your address.
Institution links checked November 11, 2026.
Tick a box when you have the item in hand. Each one says what it is, what it costs, and where to get it if you do not have it.
0 of 5 ready to go
Start today. An office visit can run two to three weeks before the card is in your hand.
A Michigan driver's license or state ID card. This is how the bank knows the person in front of them is you.
$10 for a standard Michigan state ID. It is free if you are 65 or older, a veteran, legally blind, housing insecure, on FIP, SDA, SSDI or SSI, or surrendering a license.
Start today. A replacement card is free and usually mails within two weeks.
Most banks ask for the number, not the card. If you lost the card or were never issued one, both are free to fix.
Free. A replacement Social Security card costs nothing, and an ITIN costs nothing from the IRS.
Do this the day after your ID. Download the bill and keep it on your phone.
A recent utility bill, a signed lease, or a bank statement with your name and your address on it. Usually dated within the last 30 to 60 days.
Free. Your own bill or lease is the proof. You never buy a document for this.
Have it saved before the bank visit, usually $5 to $25.
Money you put in on day one. It stays yours. It is a deposit, not a fee.
Often $5 to $25. Some accounts open with $0. Ask before you go, and ask whether the first deposit has to be cash.
Read the rule before you fill out anything. It takes one phone call to confirm.
A credit union only serves a group: people who live, work, worship or volunteer in a certain place. Find the group, then check that you are in it.
Free to check. Some credit unions ask for a one-time $5 share deposit that stays your money.
The calendar file holds one reminder for each item still on your list, a day-before alert on each, the follow-ups, and the day to walk into the bank.
A free account is not always free. Fees hide in the monthly charge, a minimum balance, or an overdraft. Ask these five before you sign, and ask for the fee schedule in writing.
What is the monthly fee, and how do I avoid it?
Many accounts are free only if you meet a condition: a direct deposit, a minimum balance, or a certain number of purchases.
Open an email with this questionWhat is the minimum balance, and what happens if I drop below it?
This is the charge that quietly empties an account. Ask the amount and the fee for missing it.
Open an email with this questionWhat does an overdraft cost, and can I turn overdraft coverage off?
Overdraft is optional at most banks. Turning it off means a purchase is declined instead of charged $30.
Open an email with this questionIs there a free account with no minimum, and does it pay interest?
Ask for the cheapest account first. If they offer one, you do not need the account with the monthly fee.
Open an email with this questionIs this account insured, and by which insurer?
Banks carry FDIC insurance and credit unions carry NCUA. If nobody can name the insurer, walk away.
Open an email with this questionListed by type, not ranked. A credit union is owned by its members and a bank is owned by its shareholders; either can be the right choice. Deposits at federally insured institutions are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution. Confirm the insurer with the institution.
Open to people who live, work, worship or volunteer in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb or Washtenaw County.
Community-chartered credit union. Membership can be started online.
Anyone eligible for a personal checking or savings account. Check the bank's identification requirements.
Detroit-based community bank with personal checking and savings accounts.
Community-chartered: open to communities across Wayne County. Confirm your address on their site.
Wayne County community credit union.
Membership depends on where you live or work. Check the requirements before you apply.
Statewide Michigan credit union offering checking, savings and loans.
Opening a checking account is one way to become a member. Eligibility varies by location.
Michigan credit union with checking, savings, mortgages and auto loans.
Membership requirements have changed over time. Confirm current eligibility on their site.
Wayne County credit union based in Plymouth, originally formed by school employees.
Right now, no institution on this page pays Reality Matters anything. Linking to a bank is not income by itself. Money only comes from a referral or sponsorship program we have actually signed up for, and we cannot create that agreement on a website.
Once an agreement exists, that link is labeled Partner link where you click it, and the disclosure sits on the same card. Paid relationships never reorder this list, never remove an institution, and never change a fact in it.
If you are exploring this as a revenue line, the honest sequence is: enroll with the institution or its affiliate program, get a tracked link, then it goes on this page with the label.
Reality Matters is not a bank or a credit union. We do not open accounts, take deposits, lend money, or give financial advice, and we do not receive your application or account information. We also do not collect your address here: eligibility is confirmed on the institution's website.
A link is wrong, closed, or missing an institution that serves your neighborhood? Send it in and we will check it against the official record.
