Mummy in the foothills

Nothing new shows in my account in the US over the weekends. I wonder if UK is the same.

SadInStates

It's there!

SadInStates

Just enquired about that and the bank told me it would take a week for them to order the cashier's check! Unfortunately as it took a while for them to get the bill out and then a week for me to receive it there's barely a week left until it's due now, without factoring in international postal time!

Thanks to the US bank transferring the entire balance (and closing the account) it looks like we have no option but to reopen it, transfer the £100 needed, incur the fees involved, and pay them from our account as originally planned.

Pombat

Do you have a friend in the US who might pay the bill for you, and then you could pay them back?

SadInStates

We did consider that, but despite 17 years of living there, the only person we feel we know well enough to do that is the realtor who just sold our house for us!!
Ok I must admit that she wasn't a complete stranger when we hired her services!

We're now in the process of trying to wire money back again...only the guy we're dealing with in America has had to go find out what an IBAN number is as it seems we need one! He'd never heard of it either!

dunroving

SWIFT numbers and IBAN numbers are simply the international equivalent of a sort code ... how could a banker never have heard of these terms? That's like a car salesman not knowing what a license plate number is.

SadInStates

ROFL!!!!

penguinsix

Some US banks are not set up to handle SWIFT and IBAN transfers, as those are numbers are only European standards not used in the US. In fact, many US banks do not even have SWIFT numbers. Still, many US bank have intermediary banks set up that can handle transfers from the US system to the international one. My wires from US to UK accounts have never taken more than 48 hours.

But besides that, the other question I have is what is your US citizen / immigration status? Will you be required to file a tax return this year? If so, you may also find yourself required to file a US FBAR statement (Foreign Bank Account) now that you have > $100k in the account. You may also get hit with a FATCA filing next year as well.

Probably not applying to you if you are a UKC, but thought I'd mention it nevertheless.

Mummy in the foothills

Try another bank. I was using Barclays and they did it while I waited. It was quite a few years back but I can't see why things take longer now, it seems things have become faster.
If you are going to end up with costs with another account opening, why not just get the check in $ from the bank and include the late fee on it, cheaper than opening more accounts and transferring money.

englishguygoinghome

At least consider a different US bank. You can get hsbc UK to set you up us and UK accounts and transfer instantly between them

penguinsix

This is what I now use and as noted transfers are instant between connected
accounts.

SadInStates

Well in the end it transferred ok and we've paid the bills. Though the charges and fees incurred thanks to them emptying the account can jolly well be absorbed by them!

Will close everything we still have open in the USA once the bill payments have cleared and then we'll be done with the wretched place! Apart from taxes and the FBAR/FATCA thingys (we became dual citizens a few years ago as it seemed like a good idea at the time ) we don't want anything more to do with the USA.