Mail and Banks

There is "some" home mail delivery but not much. You can get a private mail box at a place like Red Hook Mail Services or the other one folks recommend that's downtown if you don't want to try for a box at one of the post offices.

It will take longer for a check to clear opening an account so take that into consideration & have enough cash or credit cards to get you through for a 7-10 days. I would think a cashier's check or money order would be pretty instant but seems I've heard they've even put a hold on money with a cashier's check. Don't know if that's still the case.

I use Scotiabank because it's convenient for me. Nothing wrong with First Bank either.

Not all PO Boxes are located in brick and mortar post office buildings. The US Post Office hsd built free standing banks of mail boxes similar to what you see in a stateside apartment building along certain main roads, People that live in the area can use those boxes.

Jim

So best bet is to find out where I will permanently be living before I purchase a PO Box? Make sure there is not already mail service to my home?

Hi,
From Morningstar (south shore) to Mahogany Run (north shore) is about 6 or 8 miles. The drive can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on time of day and traffic, maybe even longer at 5:00 PM.

The banks used to require a physical address to open an account. A PO Box was not good enough. As far as I know that hasn't changed. They do indeed put a hold on money orders and cashier's checks. There are federal limits as to how long that hold can be, so ask about that. But remember if they are forced to release the funds before they have cleared the stateside bank, or wherever, and the check you deposited bounces, you can get caught with a lot of charges.

If you are going to be living in the Morningstar area, there is a post office at Havensight. If they have boxes, that would be a good place because there is parking (can be very busy in season) and they are open Sunday morning. If you are going to be living at Mahogany Run, I really don't know. I have friends at MR that use the mail boxes at Tutu Mall, which is not really that convenient.

Hope this helps.

For new accounts, local banks hold cashier's checks and money orders. Cash deposits are the only deposists that don't have holds. We use Banco Popular but the banks here are all more or less the same. You will need a social security card, the actual card not just the number, to open an account.

The Havensight PO never has available boxes and I have heard that this is because the cruise ship employees use them. I have been on the waitlist for a box at Tutu for years and they no longer put new names on the waitlist. Frenchtown often (not always) has boxes, presumably because many people don't like the hassle of going downtown during season. Sugar Estate often has boxes before season starts. When boxes are available at a PO the box may be a larger, more expensive size. If you can't find a PO Box you can always use the private mail services.

Wow, Thank you all, this helps. I think I will just use cash to open up my account.

dntw8up, when you say private mail services, you mean DHL, UPS, FedEx?

By private mail services I mean places like Red Hook Mail Services and Messages Mail & More. These are private companies that function like the USPS.

i had a banker friend in the states who is some type of vp for wellsfargo in mpls do what bankers do when no one is looking and she went somewhere and checked out all the banks here and told me the best rated one was bank of st croix, that was back in 2001 and i've had checking and savings with them and i've never had a problem.

trw,
I use Bank of St Croix also, and never had a problem. They recently opened a new Branch on ST Croix.
However they do not have a branch on STT.

yes the new branch is beautiful,i was there yesterday morn

I just opened an account at Banco Popular, all that was required was my driver's license. I lost my social security card long ago so I can verify that it wasn't needed, they just asked me for the number. Also it doesn't really seem to me like you need a valid local address because I just told them Towers Condos and that is now my address on my bank account. That's about as deliverable or specific as saying my address is the bench outside the holiday inn.