Setting up a US bank account
 

Any easy way to set up a US bank account from offshore? Going to be at least 2 months before I head on over and would like to have it done before then.

Do many banks offer good netbanking facilities too ? I am not too familiar with US banks.

Bank of America - has good internet banking, but setting up from offshore would seem pretty hard to me... I can't think of one that doesn't require SSN/Driver's License and doing it in person. But BoA is nationwide and has internet banking....

Bank of America is a good one (since its nationwide.) i think Dollar Bank is too. Not sure.

either way, just do some research for US Banks and their locations, get a phone number, give'em a call and they'll help ya out. :)

Yeah I took a look at bank of america along with a few others, but its starting to look like I will need a 'sponsor' to open an account without the US tax id etc.

Bank or America is out of the question unless you hit just the right person there. They require two forms of AMERICAN ID and an ATM can't be one of them. A discharge from jail works though.

My girl freind tried to set up an account. She lives here, was born here, has a valid drivers license, an ATM card and I have three accounts there and was sitting next to her. She was required to go get another form of ID - charge card with US address or passport. I think her birth certificate might of made it??? She had a whole purse full of crap with her at a local address - didn't work

They said it was a Patriot Act thing. We said Go Fuck Yourself and the clerk leaned over and whispered which bank to go to that would give her an account that day. It wasn't a BOA branch.

Bank of America is out of the question unless you hit just the right person there. They require two forms of AMERICAN ID and an ATM can't be one of them. A discharge from jail works though.

My girl freind tried to set up an account. She lives here, was born here, has a valid drivers license, an ATM card and I have three accounts there and was sitting next to her. She was required to go get another form of ID - charge card with US address or passport. I think her birth certificate might of made it??? She had a whole purse full of crap with her at a local address - didn't work

They said it was a Patriot Act thing. We said Go Fuck Yourself and the clerk leaned over and whispered which bank to go to that would give her an account that day. It wasn't a BOA branch.

WOW two posts at once, just for changing a spelling error.

could you put your money into moneybookers.com or epassport.com till you came over??

http://www.tdwaterhouse.com


Works fine for me ( am Canadian).

www.thebancorp.com

I know a guy in Australia that set up an account with them without being in the US. Everything was handled by phone and through the mail to set it up.

Yeah I am doing that, but its more to do with 3rd party processing of credit cards etc, and legal issues.