tonrob

Or you could just say they're shite.

Southy_SWFC

Fortunately the rest of the advice I've had has been constructive or you might find that you wouldn't get many new members.
I don't think the points I made were unreasonable so to mock someone who doesn't know better, especially when they're new, was a bit harsh.

HarryTheSpider

Wow - when I laughingly observed to a USC colleague that the banking system here was about 20 years behind the times, I didn't realise how close to the truth that statement was!!

Banking transaction within the same bank network are effectively instant - though this is not always reflected by the Internet portals many banks offer...

Eveyrthing else takes days and costs between $9 and $40 to do - there is nothing remotely like the free banking we get in the uk.

I bank with Citi - nearest branch is in Mexico, 150 miles away

It typically takes at least 1 'payment cycle' to set up the equivalent of BACS deposit, so your first pay check will not go in to your bank account electronically - you'll get it as an actual check... Good luck trying to pay that in when your nearest branch is in a different country!

But once set up, the money is in the account when expected, just like back home.

I find Xoom very good for uk transfers. I do a transfer from my checking account, costs $4.99 for up to $2500 transfer, and it is in my uk account typically in around 22 minutes (yes, I have timed it several times!!).

Good luck, and welcome to BE!

PS - on the subject of some of the seemingly less helpful/sarcastic responses you've received, I put this down to email/forum type communications being very easy to misinterpret. The people who gave you what you referred to as sarcastic/less than helpful responses are actually some of this forum's most helpful and prolific posters. Yes, they have an odd sense of humour and writing style, but they can't help it - I believe in one case it's down to an insufficient amount of sprouts being eaten!!

tonrob

I really don't know what you're on about. Did you actually read the text that you quoted?

kodokan

Comedy US banking:

- to pay my rent in the UK on an automatic, 'will never forget' bank transfer basis, I'd need to set up a simple standing order, which I can do online in less than a minute using the landlord's sort code and account number. The money would transfer overnight, or perhaps at the most within 3 days.

- to pay my rent here, I had to set up my landlord as a payee in the online banking bill payment section by entering an inordinate amount of data. As they're not on the official list, like a utility, when I hit 'Pay', the bank then generates and posts them a check, which they would then have to take to the bank to deposit. Seriously. For added chuckles, I'll mention that the landlord and I are both banking with Chase - at the same branch.

The branch, fortunately, is used to this sort of nonsense, and have set up a workaround. So now each month my rent amount will leave my account on about the 19th of each month. A check will be generated... and posted to the branch, who will deposit it in the landlord's account in time for it to clear by the end of the month, ready for the 1st rent date.

So yes, a teensy bit backward. But I must say that my branch of Chase have been fantastic; so patient with all my newbie questions and never a hint of being hurried. Last week, I went to the bank to find out why my electric bill hadn't been paid, when I'd sent the payment online 3 weeks earlier. Of course, the answer was that I'd mis-keyed a digit on the customer account number. The lady at Chase not only corrected the payee details but phoned the electric company for me, explained what had happened, and had the payment tracked down, correctly routed and the late fee dropped. Now THAT'S service! So I'll forgive their bizarre attachment to little bits of paper and propping up USPS.

Swisstony

Er, actually, that's *exactly* what you can do with HSBC if you have accounts with them in both the US and UK (and probably to/from other countries too).....

tonrob

Not sure what the 'Er' is for? Always thought it looked funny when someone started a post with that.

Swisstony

Well, I was, er, indicating that your somewhat sarcastic sounding response, from which I inferred that you considered the poster's assumed belief, that such instant and easy transfers were available, as incorrect, was in fact, itself incorrect.

[love the pint avatar, by the way]

Southy_SWFC

So basically what you're saying is that I was right in my assumption?

Bob

If you want a brick and mortar bank in Maine and something that's across the state.

Camden National is probably your best bet.

If you want larger chains, TD Bank is another good one, the US operation is based there, unfortunately in Lewiston and Auburn.

Bank of America, they're shit, but also all over the place. Their credit card outfit is also based there.

Key bank are another fairly large outfit for Maine with a presence over most of the state.

Peoples United, is another...but I don't know how solid they are.

Bangor Savings and Bangor Credit Union are both solid and spread out a fair bit.

Then there's Chase/Citizens and Wachovia as the last of the big names.

Banking in Maine is like walking into another era though and that says something.

tonrob

I can't control the tone of voice in which you chose to read my question.

Go back and read the post I was quoting. It was ambiguous and I was clarifying what I thought the poster meant.

My intent was to be helpful, but I chose not to type reams unless I understood what the situation was.

Incidentally - what type of HSBC accounts do you have where you can transfer instantly and online? Premier has been mentioned before on banking threads, but I know this is out of reach for the majority so was wondering what other ways they have of doing this.

As mentioned in my earlier post, I have no first-hand knowledge with this scenario, so couldn't possibly be trying to prove or disprove any assumption myself, but I do follow the banking threads and will continue to do so as I like helping people out, especially having spent many years in the industry myself, even though occasionally newbies get arsey for no reason.

lj2

My HSBC UK - US and reverse transfers online are free, instantaneous and qat good rates. It is HSBC Premier.

tonrob

There's the rub then (I think). Isn't Premier invitation-only and for high net-worth customers? Premier probably only applies to the top percent (or less) of the bank's customer base. Need confirmation of whether this kind of service is available to the plebs.

Ray

wachovia have long gone ... now Wells Fargo

Bob

True, but the buildings haven't changed, they're still Wachovia with a temp sign bolted on in some of those spots in Maine...which is rather amusing

It was a few years before the signs to MBNA got changed to BoA on the roads and the like

As for HSBC Prem, it isn't invitation only, but you do need a substantial balance to start it, last I read it was 100K balance and you had to maintain at least 60K average balance there after to keep the account. It might well be different numbers now, but all the same, it's not a regular account the average phleb can afford to open.

The regular HSBC accounts aren't shit, but they aren't instant either. The nearest branch was in Boston, but I don't think they have that open any more?