Um, just a thought: why not open the new account as a new, separate account. Wait for it to be active and to get new checks and new numbers, wait for all places that you do business with to make the change, and only THEN close the old account? I mean, it can't cost more than a couple bucks for one extra monthly fee (assuming you pay ANY monthly fees, that is). Then you could have the best of both worlds -- uninterrupted service, and new shiny account number?