[Geishboy]

Anybody here bank with Bank of America? I have an account here in the states but wondering if I will need to open up a new one there or will my account just transfer over? Anybody know how many ATM/Banking Centers there are???

[Geishboy]

thanks Francine.

By not being able to make bank withdrawls, i guess that means when i move there I will need to open a new account in order to make deposits/withdrawls?!?

[KnowItAll]

Yeah. You really don't want to deal with BoA in Hong Kong ... very few branches and no focus on retail customers.

[freeier]

is BOA even a retail operation in hk. i thought they are not?

[KnowItAll]

They have a couple of branches ...

http://www.bankofamerica.com.hk/engl...g_locator.html

[HKFella]

That's their retail arm in HK, Bank of America (Asia). The estwhile Bank of Canton which became a subsidiary of BofA through a series of acquisitions viz. Security Pacific ->BofA ->Nationsbank (kept name BofA). Check with them how integrated they may be with parent bank ops in USA. Or they just might offer fee concession to move your funds over to a new local account. I wouldn't hold my breath on anything though.

[Geishboy]

Been considering HSBC, but I figured for convenience I would stick with BofA. Heck, no one in the branches here even knew there was any retail banking in HK. I ended up finding it on-line myself! Switching banks wouldn't really upset me, but I thought I might be able to save a couple bucks on transfers between accounts if it was with the same bank.

Thanks all for your help.

[jayinhongkong]

If BOA is anything like Chase...your bank account in the US will have nothing to do with your account here. Well, aside from them both being BOA accounts. I tried to withdraw money from my US checking account at a Chase bank here and they said I couldn't. I don't even know if there are any Chase Manhattans left in HK. You might as well just use HSBC.

[Sleuth]

We met with BOA last time we were there. Not very impressive. I doubt they will transfer money from US to HK for free, or even for a percentage off. Think of BOA in HK as a totally different company from BofA in US, which is how they seem to think of it.
After the BOA meeting we ran to HSBC, but just at closing time. HSBC has the better reviews, so we will head back there next trip.
Here's a thought: what bank does your company bank with? Maybe your company can pull some strings with the US office.

[Geishboy]

Sleuth - interesting question as i'm pretty sure my company won't help me with my banking in HK. Here in the states they are a major competitor to BofA but as of now do not have retail banking available in HK only investment banking and trading operations (which is the reason for my move).
I will be arriving Saturday and will be in HK for two weeks, I plan on following up with BofA and HSBC while i'm there so i can hopefully have an account open by the time I move in July. I do not have a mailing address there as of yet, but hopefully a letter and/or a copy of a signed contract from my employer in HK should be all I will need to open an account, right?