Heading over to states in a few weeks to live.

Any advice on what Bank in the US i should use?

Thanks

There are thousands of banks and credit unions, most are regional some are online only and some are national. Where are you going to be? What type of stuff do you want to do? How much are you going to have in there? What sort of account do you want? There is no answer to your original question.

How long is a piece of string?

BoA are crap, but they are everywhere if that's important to you.

Local Credit Union is probably a better bet, if you don't travel lots or worry about ATM coverage.

Are you worried about fee's or looking for a free account?

Hi Alistair,

I moved to Tampa in December. I went to Bank of America to open a bank account and they could not of been more helpful. I didn't need a social security number to open the account which was a huge plus, as a bank account really gets things started. All I had to do is take in my SSN once it was issued. They also advised me to get one of their credit cards to start building up my credit, which I did. I would strongly recommend them. Good luck.

Whatever bank you choose I think you'll find you'll be stepping back a decade or two compared to UK banks. Choose a big name would be my advice.

US banking laws/regs are nothing like the UK's...beware.


Edit: Keep your UK bank account and credit card current. They are very useful...especially if you move back to the UK in the future. I've kept mine for 15 years and wouldn't dream of closing them.

Not all banks are available in all states.

If you don't need a physical branch, a lot of people are still happy with ING.

I'd contradict earlier advice and recommend a smaller, more flexible bank. This was how we were able to get a mortgage when other banks wouldn't touch us. Of course, with no info supplied as to your needs it's impossible for us to meaningfully recommend anything.

Or get accounts with both a big bank and a credit union.