Bank guides
Expert breakdowns of how US business bank approvals work in 2026 — for non-US founders and previously-rejected applicants. We keep them current.
Free download: US Bank Account Checklist (PDF)
An 8-page quick-reference: pre-application checks, the document list, a 6-bank comparison, proof-of-address standards, 13 risky moves, and the 5-step rejection playbook. Leave an email to download.
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1 · Form the company
Entity, state, name, EIN — the decisions that everything downstream inherits.
LLC or C-Corp? Delaware or Wyoming? And a Name That Doesn't Scream “Supplier” (2026)
Three decisions before forming: LLC or C-Corp (one question), Delaware or Wyoming (Delaware is for fundraising, not legitimacy), and a name that doesn't scream 'supplier'.
Get an EIN Without an SSN: the Fax + 147C Phone Playbook (2026)
No SSN, no online EIN application. The working path: fax Form SS-4, use the faxed-back letter for Stripe and Mercury, and the 147C phone-chase playbook with menu keys.
2 · Open the bank account
Getting approved as a non-US founder — and what to do when a bank says no, or shuts you down.
Mercury vs Relay vs BlueVine: Which Business Bank Account Is Best for Foreign Founders in 2026?
Mercury, Relay and BlueVine serve very different founders. Compared across eight dimensions that decide approval — with experience-based likelihood ranges and a decision tree.
Can You Open a Mercury Bank Account Without an SSN? (2026 Complete Guide)
Yes, Mercury works without an SSN. What it actually requires, what auto-rejects non-residents, and the step-by-step playbook to get approved in 2026.
US Addresses & Proof of Address for Non-US Founders: What Banks Actually Accept (2026)
Registered agent, operating address, PO Box, virtual address — which goes where, what counts as proof in 2026, and why 'residential' virtual addresses fail real KYC.
Proof of US Nexus: What Banks Want, the 4 Ways to Pass, and the $25k Countdown (2026)
Banks now ask foreign-owned US companies to prove a real US connection. The four qualifying options, the exact documents for each, and how to survive the pre-nexus $25k / 60-day countdown.
Mercury Application Rejected? The Real Reasons — and How to Reapply Safely (2026)
Rejected by Mercury? Red lines vs. fixable mistakes, why the email tells you nothing, the channels that actually get replies, and the reapply rules that avoid a permanent ban.
13 Moves That Get US Business Bank Accounts Rejected or Closed (2026)
Rejections and closures are pattern matches, not bad luck. The 13 operations that trigger them — 6 at application, 7 in daily use — and the three habits that keep an account stable.
Your US Business Account Is Open. The First 90 Days Decide Whether It Stays Open (2026)
Approval isn't the finish line — the first 90 days are when the bank decides whether to trust the account. The week-1 activation list, what a healthy money flow looks like, how to pay yourself, and a 90-day cadence.
Mercury Closed My Account: How to Get Your Money Back (2026)
Mercury closed your account? Save the money, not the account: the 72-hour checklist, the US-account refund trap, and a real 14-day full-recovery timeline.
3 · Get paid
Stripe, Merchant of Record, and surviving the platforms that can switch you off.
What Is a Merchant of Record? MoR vs PSP vs Seller of Record, Explained (2026)
The MoR is the legal seller of the transaction — statement name, taxes, chargebacks, all theirs. How that differs from a PSP like Stripe and a seller of record, and what the ~5% fee buys.
SaaS Payment Stack (2026): Bank Transfer vs Stripe vs MoR — and Which MoR to Pick
B2B wants invoices and bank transfers; B2C wants cards. Exact 2026 fees across the three rails, the six-MoR comparison (Creem to FastSpring), and the redundancy rule.
Creem Review (2026): Fees, Store Verification, and What It Refuses to Sell
Creem is the cheapest MoR (3.9% + 40¢) with the strictest store review. The pass-first-time checklist, 6 common rejection causes, the prohibited list, and who should pick it.
Getting Paid from the US: Stripe vs. Merchant of Record vs. Bank Transfer (2026)
65% of US payments are cards — checkout is a conversion problem. MoR vs PSP, real 2026 rates, platform picks by stage, Stripe's risk mechanics, and the 1+1+1 redundancy rule.
Passing Stripe Review: the 5 Things It Checks + the Two Checklists (2026)
Stripe's KYB checks five things: entity, website, products, transaction risk, consistency. The document and website checklists to run before submitting — plus domain-ownership proof.
Stripe Banned You? The Disaster Plan — and Migrating Subscriptions While You Still Can (2026)
A full Stripe ban locks you out completely. The redundancy to build before it happens, the plan-B re-subscribe campaign, and the official subscription-migration toolkit.
4 · Stay alive
Maintenance, Good Standing, ITIN and tax — the unglamorous work that keeps the whole stack standing.
Good Standing, Neglect, and Reinstatement: Keeping Your US Company Alive (2026)
What Good Standing is, the chain reaction when a company goes unmaintained (frozen accounts, $25k IRS penalties, suspended stores), and the five-step reinstatement with its seven traps.
ITIN Explained: US Credit Without an SSN — and Whether You Now Owe US Tax (2026)
ITIN vs SSN vs EIN, building US credit without an SSN via secured cards, the CPN red line — and why ITIN + a US card usually doesn't make you a US taxpayer.
Compare US business banks (2026)
A side-by-side look at the five accounts non-US founders ask about most, built from current 2026 bank policies. Likelihood ranges are experience-based estimates for a foreign-owned LLC.