Originally Posted by Jerseygirl

Odd the Nat West have been sending statements, correspondence, even new bank cards and credit cards to our US address since 1996.

Originally Posted by C_C

Hmmm...we're with Natwest too.
I assume/hope that the account of yours they closed had no money in it???

Originally Posted by sunflwrgrl13

I asked my OH for my clarification about it as I couldn't quite remember all the details. He didn't try to update them with his US address until he had already came over on his K1 visa. When he called them from the US to give them the address, they told him that he would have to physically come in the branch and provide them with proof of the address change? How was he supposed to have proof prior to him moving; he wouldn't have had any bills in his name yet? Errr, so yeah he was supposed to fly back to the UK just to present them with proof of address?! So we just left it in his parents address.



It was a savings account, and it did actually have around £15-£20 in it. I'm sure they somehow managed to eat it up in service fees as we never received a check for the remaining funds.

This is really a pain for us though, as we are planning to return to the UK later this year and we are facing the uphill battle of getting an account opened.

Originally Posted by sunflwrgrl13

This is really a pain for us though, as we are planning to return to the UK later this year and we are facing the uphill battle of getting an account opened.

Originally Posted by celticgrid

A good bet is the "International" arms of the UK banks, i.e. those branches based on the surrounding islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man) which are fully geared up to dealing with non-residents. You'll need to jump through some hoops to prove ID but you'll end up with a bank account that will work fine and dandy in the UK. However, if you're into instant gratification then you'll be disappointed, as it will take a bit of time and effort to go through the application process!

Originally Posted by JAJ

The deposit protection arrangements in the Dependencies are not up to the same standards as onshore in the UK.

Originally Posted by C_C

Hello everyone,

We're moving to the US in a couple of months and we've started looking at all the logistics of the move.
One of my questions has to do with notifying (or not) our UK bank that we'll be moving to the US. If the UK bank knows that we won't be residing in the UK anymore, are they likely to cause us any problems with our account?

We intend to leave one of our UK accounts open (just a simple checking account), mainly because we're expecting some money to come into it after we've moved. We will only need to have the account open for a month or so after we've moved, just so we can receive the money and then transfer it to our US account using a foreign exchange service. If it wasn't for this money, we'd probably close all our UK accounts before we left.

Note here that none of us is from the UK originally, so we're not likely to be returning regularly for vacation, visits etc.

So what do people think?
Is it a better idea to notify the UK bank that we're leaving anyway and that we're keeping one account open?
Is it a better idea to keep silent about it until after we've made all the transfers we need to?
Or does it not matter either way?

Originally Posted by sean3636

I would leave all your UK accounts open for the time being until you can get yourself established credit wise over here. I am not sure how difficult it is now to open a checking account over here in the US for new arrivals but what I do know is my good credit from the UK did not follow and I had to start from scratch again with no credit.

Originally Posted by Bluegrass Lass

My husband kept an account with Natwest when he came over in 2004. They wouldn't accept an overseas address so he sent the statements to his parents address. We found out recently they closed the account for non-activity without any notice to us.

Originally Posted by Kat Taylor

NatWest made it so difficult for me to open an account with them even though I had been living in the UK for over 7 years on a resident visa and had accounts with Abbey and Halifax...no matter what I provided (and they kept on asking for more) it was never enough. My husband had been with them since he was 16, but they didn't want to know me, nor wanted my NHS paycheck going to them every month......after 9/11 as a US citizen I should have been the last of their concerns, I opened up another acount with Abbey now Santander, it was such a palaver!

Originally Posted by Bluegrass Lass

Opening a checking account has nothing to do with one's credit history. If you have the proper documentation to prove your identity & address (SSN card, driver's license, passport, green card, EAD, utility bill, etc), anyone can open an account in the US.

Which is why I don't understand why it's so difficult to open an account in the UK. A checking/current account is simply a place for one to put their money so they don't have to stuff the mattress, and doesn't have any bearing on credit needs.

Originally Posted by rallybug

As to the Offshore Centres, Expat Services, however you want to call them, the surrounding isles (IOM, Channel Islands) do offer these services - albeit at a price. The Lloyds TSB Offshore Premier International account has monthly fees if your balance falls below £2500/$3500/€2500 of £20/$30/€20 respectively - other banks are likely similar.