Cad

And quite right to so much money laundering costs us folks who abide by the rules a lot.

cyrian

Even money launderers abide by the rules a lot - but not always.

PandaF

I spoke to BNP Paribas with intention to get everything sorted and take it across when I go to Paris next week to discover that I may not need a French account due to SEPA and that I can link payments to my Dutch account.

I still have the appointment as I think it will be good to have a French account but if it is true that I can use my Dutch account for bills (utilities, mobile etc) I may do that instead as it is a lot easier, no?

PandaF

What does it cost you? ML is quite a funny practice that actually brings in employment in countries that are used as gateways and hubs, Latvia, Cyprus and London are main ones from Russia for example.

KYC regulations are loose in Latvia, ignored by some in Cyprus and London is the main financial hub that a lot goes through before getting to the final destination which is usually property but now with clean money.

Cad

And quite right to.

Novocastrian

Best of luck with that.

petitefrancaise

I wouldn't go near BNP Paribas with a 10 foot barge pole.

Incredibly aggressive at opening accounts that aren't appropriate, nightmare to close them, sold us insurance we didn't need or want or ask for. Took a lawyer to try and sort that mess out, that and a super Barclays manager in Albi. When we left the country and sold our house they tried to insist that the proceeds of the sale would go into our account with them and they would pay off the outstanding mortgage. Luckily, our notaire gave them a flea in their ear. Crooks. Our local branch regularly had broken windows where people had thrown bricks through them.

My mate. a Barclays guy, told me that they had a bad reputation amongst the banking community and staff turnover was usually high because people who could leave them, did.

Tweedpipe

I appreciate your views and regret you had those problems. I've never used them, but personally have had bad experiences with Credit Lyonnais, and Banque Populare (the latter now resolved to our satisfaction, and we're still with them), so I'd not hesitate to recommend the latter.
I'm not at all surprised to hear of a Barclays employee bad-mouthing another bank. I guarantee most other bank cadres would do the same with a competitor, and wouldn't be at all surprised if they were encouraged to. (Ask any Renault/Citroen dealer what they think about Honda or Toyota)........
I've not heard any bad experiences from a colleague who has used BNP Paribas for years, which prompted me to do a quick search.

In independant analysis it's interesting to note that BNP come in very high in terms of relation client, l’innovation et d’activité for 2013, 14 and 2015. In fact at No.1 position for these recent years. Links can be provided if required.

PandaF

Is it not possible or just a pain in the rear?

Novocastrian

I don't know if it's possible but I wouldn't fancy trying to get EDF, GdF etc to accept a cheque or a direct debit on a Dutch bank account.

EuroTrash

I used to work for a company that banked with BNP Paribas and I was the one who had to deal with them each week to pay in / take out money, this was in Pas de Calais. The procedures were cumbersome as with any bank - I used to turn up at the same time every Friday, wearing the company uniform, they knew me by sight and yet every week they needed to take a photocopy of my passport and they had to ring their head office to confirm that I was authorised to do transactions on behalf of the company. But the staff themselves were perfectly pleasant and there was never a problem as such.

petitefrancaise

so you didn't actually bank with them?

I could write out the whole saga, but I can't be bothered. The best thing I did with them was get a lawyer involved. They tried to scare us with the threat of cancelling our mortgage if we dared to close accounts due to charges and queried the insurance. We complained through their internal system but got nowhere - just bland letters. The lawyer got the insurance costs reimbursed immediately and we opened up a Barclays account. Crooks.

EuroTrash

No - like I said, It's a UK-based family company and the reason I know they were happy with BNP, was that they had identical operations in other EU states and the Spanish bank in particular was a nightmare. The owner kept saying "how come our French bank manages to do everything we need, and the Spanish bank turns all those same things into massive problems". I also know that the company has been banking with BNP ever since they (my employers, that is) started operating in France in the 1960s. I used to look after the finances and admin for the French operation and liaise with the admins in Spain and Italy as well as with head office, so banking and banks were quite a hot topic of conversation one way and another and they all reckoned I was lucky to have BNP to deal with.
Obviously everyone has their own experience, possibly some Spaniards think BBVA is great. I don't think my company had particularly complex needs; maybe the professional side of BNP is better than the private side; I imagine one branch is run differently from another. I'm not particularly recommending them, just reporting my experience.

PandaF

From looking it up SEPA regulations mean they are required (in theory) to accept payment from my Dutch account if I choose to pay them from it.

cyrian

"In theory" - this is France