Keeping a US bank account open while in the UK

Ok, so we're moving over to Newcastle in August and trying to wrap up loose ends.

Bank accounts! Ideally, we'd like to keep our Wells Fargo account open so that we can pay bills, handle unexpected events, receive tax refunds, etc. But do American banks allow an overseas address?

We're not really in the position where we could ask a Stateside relative to handle the account for us.

What have other people done?

Our bank allowed us to use our UK address, but it is an international bank and we have our UK account with it as well.  Call your bank and ask. Otherwise, you can open an account with something like Mailboxes and have your mail forwarded.

I've had no problem using a foreign address with my credit union account.

The bank I'm currently with did not let me change my address to a foreign one online but when I called them up, they changed it on their end for me.

I have a Wells Fargo account, they made a note of my foreign address on the system.  But I think I had to leave it in my parents address, I receive paperless statements though so they don't really get much mail on my behalf.

Our bank allowed us to use our UK address, but it is an international bank and we have our UK account with it as well.  Call your bank and ask. Otherwise, you can open an account with something like Mailboxes and have your mail forwarded.

Which bank do you use? I've heard awful things about HSBC customer service, but at least they seem to be international.

When I moved back to the UK from the US, I kept my US bank account open and changed my address to my UK address. However, I never received any statements or anything from them in the mail... and when I checked my statements online, I discovered that half the UK address had been cut off (the country, city and postcode!), so I would imagine that I have about 2 years of bank statements floating around a US post office somewhere now with no one knowing where to send them  .

Eventually I decided to change the account address to my aunt's, as she lives in the US, so I wouldn't risk things like new bank cards getting lost in the mail. I've gone paperless now though, so I don't have to worry about statements being sent to her every month.

I've had no problem using a foreign address with my credit union account.

Same here!

I've had no problem keeping my US bank account while in the UK.  I wasn't able to change my address myself online to an international one (merely due to the input field formatting not accepting the UK post code); however, a quick chat with customer service cleared it up no problem.

I have kept my Bank of America account and just get the statements, etc via the internet. 

And what do you do when your husband (joint account at B of A) disapproves of online banking?? 
We'll probably need to keep the account going if we keep the US house going 

And what do you do when your husband (joint account at B of A) disapproves of online banking?? 
We'll probably need to keep the account going if we keep the US house going 

My df won't bank online either.  Could this be a trend?

I've found it really handy, having my old credit union account in the States. I left the (pathetic, meager) proceeds of my house sale there and pull over cash when the exchange rate is favorable.

Pro tip: the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to move small sums to the UK is to put your U.S. debit card in the hole in the wall and pull out a couple hundred pounds at a time. My credit union only charges $1 every time I do this (but check with yours before you take my word!).

I've found it really handy, having my old credit union account in the States. I left the (pathetic, meager) proceeds of my house sale there and pull over cash when the exchange rate is favorable.

Pro tip: the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to move small sums to the UK is to put your U.S. debit card in the hole in the wall and pull out a couple hundred pounds at a time. My credit union only charges $1 every time I do this (but check with yours before you take my word!).

Hmmm ... wonder if I should switch to our work credit union rather than B of A before I go over? Gotta go see a financial planner, I guess 

I have a USA Wells Fargo bank acct (cking).  I think I have my sisters address as my address, but they have noted my UK address.

As far as transferring funds to UK bank I set up a Recurring Wire Transfer, which allows one to transfer funds from Wells Fargo to a UK bank acct for a fee of $15 instead of the usual wire transfer of $30.  Difference is that when set up I made it a recurring wire transfer, not a one time thing. 

It is cheaper to do this way unless you dont withdraw much/many times.  They do charge something like $5 withdraw/atm fee, plus a fee for international fee (no real name for fee), and sometime other fees if card is used at a store.

So far, it has worked well, no problems.