Bank On New Hampshire
NCDE’s Bank On NH coalition and our partners have formed a sustained collaboration to leverage the extraordinary capabilities of NH banks and credit unions to enable all low-and moderate-income (LMI) NH families and individuals of all ages, especially those with school-age children, to become fully banked, financially literate, and able to access free and deeply discounted broadband safely and successfully.
With seed funding provided by Bank of America, the coalition has partnered with a growing number of NH banking leaders to form the New Hampshire Task Force on Online Banking Access, Skills & Safety, in collaboration with the NH Bankers Association, NH School Administrators Association, and NH Afterschool Network. Beginning in 2026 with a focus on an intensive pilot in the Manchester area, then scaling gradually statewide, our aims are to:
* assist lower-income youths and adults to become fully banked via Bank On-certified checking accounts
* strengthen their financial literacy skills, especially with regard to college debt decisions.
* assist families with at least one free/reduced lunch-eligible K12 student to enroll in T-Mobile’s exceptional Project 10Million program offering free mobile WiFi hotspots and five years of free high-speed broadband access.
For more information about this initiative please click here.
Bank On New Hampshire Resources
NCDE’s Bank On New Hampshire Coalition is pleased to highly recommend these resources. If you know of others we should share about, please click on the link below to “Recommend Financial Inclusion Resources Here”.
Free/Low-Cost Checking Accounts in New Hampshire
The following are free checking accounts, some of which may have restrictions as noted below.
- Alliant Credit Union High-Rate Checking
- Alliant Credit Union Teen Checking
- Ally Bank Spending Account
- Bangor Savings Bank Benefit Promise℠ Account
- Bank of America SafeBalance Banking free if less than 25 years old, otherwise low-cost
- BMO Smart Money Checking free if less than 25 years old, otherwise low-cost
- Chase Secure Banking Account free if 17-24 years old, otherwise low-cost
- Citizens EverValue Checking Account
- Citizens Student Checking for students ages 14-25 years old
- Claremont Savings Bank First Step Checking
- Digital Federal Credit Union Dora Everyday Checking Account
- Discover Bank® Cashback Debit Checking Account
- First Seacoast Bank SquareONE
- LendingClub Level Up Checking
- Mascoma Bank Bank On Checking
- Merrimack County Savings Bank BankOn Checking
- MVSB Bank On Checking Account
- nbkc bank Everything Account
- nbkc bank Money Market Account
- NBT Bank NBT iSelect Account
- Quorum Federal Credit Union QFlex Checking
- Santander Bank Santander Essential Checking free if less than 26 years old, otherwise low-cost
- Savings Bank of Walpole BankOn Checking
- Service Federal Credit Union Dora Everyday Checking Account
- TD Bank TD Essential Banking free for 14-17 year olds, otherwise low-cost
Free Financial Education Resources
- Bank of America’s Better Money Habits in English
- Bank of America’s Mejores Habitos Financieros (en Espanol)
- EverFi’s free financial literacy resources for high school students
- FDIC ‘s Money Smart in English
- FDIC’s Money Smart en Espanol
- Fidelity Financial Learning Lab for Teachers and Parents
- Fidelity Five Money Musts Interactive Game
- National Financial Educators Council to access financial education; coaching; and standards, research & advocacy
Recommend Additional Financial Inclusion Resources Here
Strengthening Online Banking Access, Skills and Safety
After months of planning, in partnership with the NH Bankers Association, our Bank On New Hampshire initiative formed a NH Task Force on Online Banking Access, Skills & Safety, to bring together NH banking leaders to mobilize their colleagues as volunteers to provide the following supports for LMI (low- and moderate-income) families, especially those with school-age children:
* Assist families with K12 students eligible for free/reduced meals to enroll in T-Mobile Project 10Million’s program which provides free mobile wifi hotspots offering five-years of free high-speed home broadband.
* Assist underbanked and unbanked families to enroll in one of NH’s many Bank On-certified checking accounts
* Grow the financial literacy skills of LMI youths and adults, especially those youths and parents considering college debt decisions.
* Strengthen LMI family members’ cybersafety skills for safer online banking, e-commerce and e-learning.
To join the NH Task Force, seek technical assistance in creating a new Bank On-certified checking account, or to learn more and offer suggestions, please contact Dr. Bob McLaughlin at rmclaughlin@digitaleconomy.us or 1.802.249.1159.
For excellent further information about the nationwide BankOn initiative, visit the National Bank On Data Hub.