Opening a Checking Account by Mail

HC -Try the VI Bank Assoc website:

http://www.vibank.org/

PH

Thanks, ParrotHead -- I will do that!

HC

HC -You are welcome!

PH

I don't know about the others, but First Bank told me they could not open my checking account until I was here and came to the office in person.

You might be able to open an account through a wire transfer, bank to bank....

East Ender -- it's my understanding that you have to have an account open before they can accept a wire transfer. The wire transfer is the recommended way to fund your new account though -- it seems to be the only way you can avoid having a hold put on your money. Check out this table of hold tikmes for various forms of currency that is on the site Parrothead just recommended - it's about a third of the way down the page at : http://www.vibank.org/faq.html

Thanks anyway!

HC

I'm having Mark open an account for us when he arrives in St. Croix next month so we can start wire transfers. My goodness, if you can open a darn account in Switzerland you should be able to open one in the US Territories. The whole banking thing is a pain in the patootie

HC -Perhaps your stateside bank can expedite opening a VI bank acct for you. Or, perhaps one of the VI banks has an office in the DC area, I know Onik'a has mentioned Banco Popular having branches in NYC (that is probably because NYC has a large Puerto Rican population.) You might want to check the individual VI Bank Assoc. member bank websites to see if they list any locations around DC.

BTW: I have worked in many DC-area hospitals,
Fairfax Hosp
Arlinton Hosp
Fair Oaks Hosp
Alexandria Hosp
Mt Vernon Hosp
Suburban Hosp
GWU Hosp
Nat'l Rehab Hosp
Hosp for Sick Children
Women & Children's
Doctor's Hospital in Arlington (it has since changed ownership & name)

as well as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore (first hospital I worked at after college)

PH

Wow, PH -- that is like a greatest hits list for me!

My original pain clinic doc was at Hopkins, I'm now using a doc at Georgetown. That's also where my neurosurgeon is located. My boss is in Fairfax Hospital right now, where he transferred to from Alexandria over the weekend. My primary care doc and pulmonologist are both affiliated with Arlington Hospital Center( formerly known as Arlkngton General). I'm even wondering if you might have run into my pulmonologist at one time -- wouldn't that be a coincidence!

Where did you go to school up here? Are you from this area?

And I saw Eve's post to you -- are you thinking of relocating from St. Thomas? Come and join us in St. Croix!

HC

HC: I opened an account at the old CitiBank when I moved many moons ago through wire transfer. They did have trouble understanding the concept, though! That was their original answer when I showed up to open the account- that I couldn't do it without an account. As I recall there was some sort of intermediary that acted as agent?? I had the paperwork that showed the info from my old bank and they figured it out after awhile.

HC -I love St Croix, much more conducive to someone my age (50 this August).as far as residing vs vacation. I have been to STX 5 times since getting to STT mid-December. The physician who has offered the position to me has his office on STT so if I take the job I will have to stay here I guess, commuting isn't practical. I don't want to work at the hospital on STX or STT due to varied reasons; as you can see I have worked in some very good & large hospitals.med centers over my career as respiratory therapist. In the past 20 ys I have worked in over 175 different hospitals stateside, none have been perfect but some are better than others. Roy L Schneider Hosp on STT is good for what it has to offer, there are limitations though, same goes for Juan Luis on STX.

One suggestion I would STRONGLY make to you or anyone else whether coming to live or coming to visit: BE SURE TO BUY Air Ambulance insurance in case you need to be transported stateside, your life may depend upon it. It could prove to be the best VI investment you ever make.

PH

I just had two wire transfers completed this past week, so I guess I am the resident expert.
The transfers were surprisingly trouble-free. The funds were available immediately, and BP only charged us $15 per transfer (although they had informed us that the transfer did not incur a fee). This process was actually significantly easier than physically going to the bank and depositing a check!
I would definitely suggest going this route, rather than depositing out-of-territory checks upon your arrival. They held my Fed. Govt check for 4 weeks!

Eve,

If you think the bank thing is a "pain in the patootie", just wait until you want a phone, or try to register your car, or get a PO box, or buy insurance, or set up a WAPA account, or get your car serviced, or..........

Get used to it, girlfriend 🙂

ParrotHead, the ambulance insurance item in the Settler's Handbook was one of the single greatest features in it. Seems a no brainer to me -- pay about $10/month for air ambulance insurance or get hit with a $10k bill should you need to be airlifted to Miami. Given my long f***ed up medical history that includes a couple conditions that have large odds on either getting them and/or surviving them (my first surgeon told my family I'd be dead before I graduated high school (in 1981), count me as the first on this list to get thjat insurance nailked dlown from the day I arrive for my pre-move visit.

Can you buy it from most insurance brokers who sell health insurance?

The HC

Stt,
I just don't want to travel to St. Croix with thousand of dollars bulging from my pockets. It would be nice to have a little communication between stateside and the USVI Banking industry. Arranging finances for making offers would be alot simpler. I won't need cable, phones, and a host of other things 'right away'. But if I have to travel down before my husband I don't want to carry lots o cash...
I have no problem with island time. patience is a virtue you know...

HC -I don't know how to buy it. I am a disabled VN vet & if I needed out of here the VA would get me at least to Puerto Rico where any medical specialty is available.

PH

The air ambulance companies are usually separate from the regular insurance companies. One that writes a lot of policies is MASA 777-8580. I will try to come up with the other name today. BEWARE! Most of the policies indicate that they will airlift you to the nearest facility that offers the service you need, which is for the most part, Puerto Rico. Many people assume that they will get sent back to their home hospital.

Thanks, East Ender -- you all are such valuable resources! Those of us who are just diving into this process are so grateful you've taken this time to help us out.

ParrotHead -- my big brother is also a disabled VN vet (helicopter pilot with the Army's 8th Air Cav "Blue Ghost") , and I work for one of the guys who started Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). My brother's part of a listserv of VN vets from all over, though which he was able to hook me up with a very nice vet friend of his who lives with his wife on the west end waterfront in St. Croix. Between this board and that connection, I feel like I've already got as many connections down there as I have up here!

(PS for PH - I'm also the membership director for a non-profit criminal justice reform organization set up to help express the views of combat-era vets on those issues. Don't know what your political inclinations are, but should you be interested in such a thing I'd be happy to send you a membership packet. *wink*)

HC -Feel free to email me.

PH

I am having trouble coming up with the other company. However, I may have been mistaken and recommend that you do ask the insurance companies as they seem to advertise air ambulance insurance...

East Ender wrote:
> BEWARE! Most of the policies indicate that they will
> airlift you to the nearest facility that offers the service you
> need, which is for the most part, Puerto Rico. Many people
> assume that they will get sent back to their home hospital.
>

I'm sure there is a Premium policy that will take the patient wherever they need to go
The other option would be to buy a policy stateside that guarantees air ambulance from VI to say Miami. I know of several patients who had an air ambulance come from Miami to get them. One woman was taken to Oregon, another to her home in Hawaii.

PH

AHA! SkyMed is the company that has been advertising. They seem to have agents- in St Croix: Linda Bruton 713-9991, St Thomas: Joe Sabino 771-1697 and Anguilla: Clement Ruan 264-497-3525. I am sure that some policies allow for transport anywhere, but I have seen people who were here on vacation and thought that their med evac insurance would take them home, only to find themselves in a hospital where they didn't even speak English!

Hip crip, Thank you SO much for the bank information website, I was able to connect to the daily news on line and view apartments, cars and jobs. what a HUGE help. I will check it daily. Your the best

Linda

Linda, the real thanks belong to Parrothead -- he's the one who tipped me off on that banking site (and about a hundred other very useful things -- and that's just this week!)

ParrotHead, Islander and East Ender are the greatest, most giving people around when it comes to valuable info. They've saved a whole lot of folks a whole lot of time and hassle.

Good luck with your searches!

HC