mawood47

Ref: to Using Hungary Banks, I am asking if any one now's of any Bank say Main Banks which forward Bank Statements or online bank But able for them to send Any think Direct to UK, AS now in UK most of time wanting to Pay out other invoices relating to the property,yes I am aware Electricity Water bills can be set up on Direct Debit payments, digger47

scrubbedexpat0105

K&H send my statements to my German address. Also, my statements are in German and I imagine I could have them in English if preferred.

blackwaterman

I have an 'online' account with OTP, reputedly Hungary's biggest bank. Although they appear proud to offer this, it is truly horrible to use compared with what we are used to in UK in terms of speed and certainly simplicity. Although I login to the 'English' version, it's a bit 'Hunglish' with several mystifying terms and phrases remaining. I find setting up direct debits and standing orders quite infuriating! Luckily, my Hungarian partner keeps her cool and navigates the more mysterious sections patiently.
You can view selectable transaction history periods up to 3 months easily, and possibly longer, and all my transactions show Hungarian recipients, so I struggle to work out who the devil was paid, and for what, just from the bare figures. I don't think any Hu bank will provide a written English translation...they just do banking! I feel that online banking in Hu is definitely not in great demand, and banks generally almost certainly viewed with a high level of hostility.
One good security feature (although adding delay/ frustration) is the use of 2-factor authentication. This means that you supply your mobile phone number at registration and each time you want to login they send an SMS code to it, which you then type into the login box.

mawood47

A Big thanks the two post, OTB Bank I did have a account with them I thought i closed down the account, wrong the sent a official letter demanding 3 years of Bank Charges, so you have a Bank wear some whom speak English to avoid pit falls. k & H I had account with but closed down some years ago with no problems and going online they are offering on-line banking in English, I think when over again trying to find some one whom speaks English at the Bank near to myself, to set up standing orders and other payments, digger47

blackwaterman

I don't know about them speaking English, Digger, I was surprised at my first visit not even to get a welcoming smile from them, as a prospective new client! The machine assigning customer numbering (like Jobcentres, Dr's here) did have a button to press for a translation to a big selection of other languages, but it didn't work. I only used OTP as it's at the end of the road in Tiszaujvaros. Took only 2 visits to convince them that I was entitled to open an account, as a (then) EU citizen. The secret was to show my driving licence which appeared more influential than my passport.
It's quite frightening how things can drag on in Hungary. Interest on loans/ cards just keeps going for years even when borrowers have died. Apparently debts are passed on to children and even now there's no provision for them to cease except at the sole discretion (never forthcoming) of the lender. No 6-year rule here, except in theory!
It'll be interesting to see if Brits are booted off accounts following Brexit, if it happens.

scrubbedexpat0105

I think this was posted by mistake – it should be in the humour section!

Simply being an EU citizen entitles you to open a bank account? In Germany, many banks will refuse to let you open an account even as a resident German citizen, for example if you're unemployed or self-employed. They're not obliged to say why, either.

I doubt Hungary is any better. When I opened an account I was careful to stress that I wanted no plastic, no online banking and no credit line. My account is to all intents and purposes a very basic savings account, but for paying utilities it's perfectly adequate.

mawood47

The last part is interesting over Brexit, the point being like others my Place was purchased under the New Land Law where foreigners can own Zarkert "closed garden land" with a contract binding that can not sell with in 6 years there the Government must proved all facilitates to maintain that Land "Bank would be one of those provisions other wish Faling to pay out moneys for the upkeep in respect unable to live their,owing to non Banking to sustain the fabric of Property and Life digger47

gcroft

We have K&H current and deposit accounts which work well. They have English speakers both in our branch in Pécs and in their online support. We do not bother with paper statements as the online version is sufficient for our needs.

mawood47

Hello Y all is well thanks for information digger47.5

scrubbedexpat142

We opened an account with OTP in 30 minutes, with online banking & plastic, no trouble at all. We also subsequently opened a sterling account with them, again, straightforward - & yes the SMS security feature is great!

wolfi

Yes, OTP might not be the cheapest, but they're professional!

And here in Hévíz e g they have not only German speaking people but also English speakers - an American friend of ours also just opened two accounts with them, for her of course it's $ and HUF (for me € and HUF ...).

fidobsa

I had an OTP account but never used it because my UK bank make it so difficult to transfer money overseas. After paying about 100,000ft in bank charges with no transactions I decided enough was enough and closed the account but they still keep sending me statements each month!

scrubbedexpat142

You used a UK bank to try & transfer? No!

blackwaterman

Expatrick is wise. Banks offer an expensive service to exchange currency. I use a company regulated by the FCA (for what that's worth, but at least some minimal protection not offered by most) which has just renamed from UK Forex to OFX. I think the parent company is Australian, and there's offices in many other countries. They make no charge as such, but do have a minimum amount. I found their rates very competitive, and service excellent, once registration is completed.

Alcogod

I use MKB and have 2 accounts, one is a GBP account and the other is a HUF account. I just transfer money to my GBP account then transfer it to my forint account and I didnt notice any charges. The only charge was from my bank in the UK which was £25 to send £30000 overseas to hungary.