US bank accounts that make for the easiest move?

Please forgive me; I'm sure this is a common question, but I've browsed this forum and am still not entirely sure of an answer, though I know more than when I started.

I am currently banking with a local credit union I've been with for 10 years. I am planning to move to the UK on a fiancée visa (assuming all goes to plan) in November, and am thinking maybe I should find a larger bank that will make the transition of my money a little bit easier. I just don't really know which one.

Reading a few posts here seems to suggest that Bank of America has some kind of affiliation with Barclays, but I'm not entirely clear on what (if any) that is? Also, I see HSBC is international, but charges a $200 fee for opening a new UK account? That's a bit of a hefty fee when every penny is sacred 

Just wondering the best route to go? I only have a checking and savings account to worry about; I don't have any investments or credit cards or anything too complex. I expect when I arrive, my fiancé and I will have a joint account. I suppose that would be easiest, to have him add me to his existing account. But past relationships have taught me to always keep individual ones as well, so I want to make creating one for myself as simple as possible after I arrive.

Thanks for your help!

The HSBC account is probably the easiest way to go. Yes it's a $200 set up fee, but if you compare that to not having an account & the reality that your fiance most likely won't be able to just 'add' you to his accounts (it doesn't work that way), it's probably the more practical way to go. Loads of people have had great difficulty opening a UK bank account so if you want to avoid all that $200 is a small price to pay to have an account when you arrive.

Just scroll through this board and there are LOADS of posts with people having problems opening a UK account.

Here's one of the more recent ones: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=65633.0

When I was planning my first move over with my partner to get him resettled in the UK, I opened an account with HSBC in the States and then, once I got over there, another in the UK.  They aren't connected and I'm not fully convinced that my having an account in both countries with the same bank (at least in name) made anything easier--I still had to pay to transfer my money from the US to the UK.  HSBC US only charges a flat fee of $40 to send and in the UK £6 to receive, so it wasn't terrible at all--much less than this $200 fee to set up an international account.  What is it you even get for that $200 anyway?  Just the convenience of having it set up?

I think that my way of doing it worked just fine.  Just remember to bring in all the documents you need to--especially proof of address--and you'll be alright.  You may have to wait a few days to get your card in the mail, but you can just as well go in to the branch and take out cash during that time.   

When I went into Barlay's to open an account they said that had I been in the country for less than 3 months, they could have used my US address, ID, etc, but because I'd been there 4 months, I had to have proof of UK address which, of course, I didn't have.

As for the BofA/Barclay's thing, I'm not entirely sure what the relationship is either, but the upswing is that when you pull cash out of your BofA account using a Barclay's hole in the wall (ATM), you don't pay any fees. It is purely the exchange rate.  Otherwise, and this part I'm fuzzy on since I've always use Barclay's, there's either a percentage or flat fee for making a withdrawl. If you use your BofA debit card to make a purchase somewhere, the fee is even higher. Different rules apply to BofA credit cards; I don't have one so I don't know what they are.

When I went into Barlay's to open an account they said that had I been in the country for less than 3 months, they could have used my US address, ID, etc, but because I'd been there 4 months, I had to have proof of UK address which, of course, I didn't have.

As for the BofA/Barclay's thing, I'm not entirely sure what the relationship is either, but the upswing is that when you pull cash out of your BofA account using a Barclay's hole in the wall (ATM), you don't pay any fees. It is purely the exchange rate.  Otherwise, and this part I'm fuzzy on since I've always use Barclay's, there's either a percentage or flat fee for making a withdrawl. If you use your BofA debit card to make a purchase somewhere, the fee is even higher. Different rules apply to BofA credit cards; I don't have one so I don't know what they are.

When using a BoA card at Barclay's, and visa versa, you get purely the exchange rate.  No extra fee or percentage tacked on.  It's a good deal, if most of your money is going to stay in the US or if you're going to pull money out of an ATM to then deposit into a UK bank account.  The fee for using the debit or credit card at a non-barclay's atm or at a point of sale for a purchase is much higher and not worth it.  For credit cards, you should go with Capital One, which also gives you the flat exchange rate with no extra fee for credit purchases abroad. 

I don't think there's any kind of partnership beyond ATMs between Barclay's and BoA. 

Before I moved over, I opened a savings and checking account at HSBC in the US.  Because I had accounts with HSBC in the US, HSBC UK were willing to open 'comparable' accounts in the UK for me upon arrival.  However, I did have to show proof of residence, which took the form of both needing to see and copy the visa from my passport, and producing a copy of my rental agreement with my name on it.  Without these, they would not have opened the accounts for me.

So, if you can get your fiance to add you to the utility bills before moving over (so that he gets a statement with  your name on it before you arrive), or less likely to the lease agreement where he lives, and you open HSBC accounts in the US, you can avoid the $200 fee.  Otherwise,  you may not have any other choice but to pay it and have HSBC set up your UK bank account for you.

When I went into Barlay's to open an account they said that had I been in the country for less than 3 months, they could have used my US address, ID, etc, but because I'd been there 4 months, I had to have proof of UK address which, of course, I didn't have.

I can second this.  When I went to Barclay's and explained I just moved to the UK on a spouse visa and had been in the country for literally about 2 weeks, they said they could use my old US address to open an account if I had original and recent (less than 3 months old) documents verifying my old US address like US bank statements, utility bills, etc.  And my passport was proof of identity.

ETA:  I also have Bank of America accounts, and as far as I'm aware, the ATM usage is the only agreement between them.  Having a BoA account won't make it easier to open a Barclay's account or transfer money between the two... just a bit cheaper to withdraw money from Barclay's with your BoA card (or vice versa).