ISO9002

Recently I found out my bank accounts that i have been using for the past 11 years had been closed by the banks. My money has all been deducted by monthly fees down to completely empty. Then, they closed my bank accounts.

Now, I tried to reopen them and they said I won't be able to...as I am not a permanent resident.

Pulaski

Try a different bank.

Londonswan

Similar thing happened to me with Bank of America. They closed my account and I had to reopen it using a US address. Didn't need to be permanent resident though.

NatashaB

Agree, BOA were pretty helpful to us when we had just moved here on a visa and had no SSNs.

penguinsix

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying the bank account you used for 11 years in the USA is now closed, or your bank account in the UK that you used for 11 years is now closed?

ottotheboar

I had an account in a small local bank with less than $100 in it and did not use it for a good while.
They then hit me with "dormant account fees" I do not remember how much but basically would have depleted the account in a couple of months.

Pulaski

The former; I have never heard any refer to being a "permanent resident" in the UK.

WEBlue

Actually there are loads of permanent residents in the UK. Any EU/EEA citizen can get UK permanent residence after 5 years. And ILR, acquired after 5 years on a spouse visa, is often referred to colloquially as permanent residence.

However, I do agree that the OP undoubtedly meant a US bank account.

Pulaski

Right, but there's no PR card for immigrants to the UK, and the equivalent status to US PR is "indefinite leave to remain", consequently, on this forum, at least, "permanent resident" is strongly suggestive of being in the US.

WEBlue

Agreed, but I don't see anyone talking about a card? PR in the UK is usually a vignette.

I think the question was simply which country was the closed bank account of the non-permanent resident located in. The mention of 'permanent residence' does not really answer that question, as lots of countries have some form of it.

CaliExPatCT

I own a house in the UK and was told if I wish to sell and transfer the cash to the USA I have to reside in the UK for 6 months before they would transfer the money to me.

lansbury

Who are "they"

Pulaski

That is bank policy, not a legal or regulatory requirement. I wonder how they would respond to a demand from a solicitor to release funds, or to a court order? :confused

BTW I assume that by "cash" you mean "funds", not literally a parcel of pound notes or dollar bills?

penguinsix

I also thought it was a USA question but since we've seen a number of "how to reopen a UK bank account since I'm not a resident" questions as well I wasn't sure.

If a USA account, just switch banks. Find another. There are many, and the stuff about not a permanent resident is probably a teller who doesn't know the rules or a silly bank with a silly policy.

If a UK account, quite a bit more tricky actually. With "know your customer" policies some high street banks simply won't open an account without proper proof. Some folks have taken up accounts in Jersey and the like, while others, such as HSBC Premier customers, have been successful in opening HSBC Premier accounts in the UK with their US bank managers 'vouching' for them (I just did this).

penguinsix

I also thought it was a USA question but since we've seen a number of "how to reopen a UK bank account since I'm not a resident" questions as well I wasn't sure.

If a USA account, just switch banks. Find another. There are many, and the stuff about not a permanent resident is probably a teller who doesn't know the rules or a silly bank with a silly policy.

If a UK account, quite a bit more tricky actually. With "know your customer" policies some high street banks simply won't open an account without proper proof. Some folks have taken up accounts in Jersey and the like, while others, such as HSBC Premier customers, have been successful in opening HSBC Premier accounts in the UK with their US bank managers 'vouching' for them (I just did this).