Past Article on US Bank Accounts for Canadians

I've already written an article here on opening up a US$ bank account at a US-based bank in the USA. It's a good background, so I suggest reading it for its useful information and posted comments. 

The only problem is that the bank I chose is a relatively regional one that doesn't do much business in border states.

Other Helpful US Banking for Canadians Articles:

• Comparison of Currency Exchange Rates at Canadian Banks
• Canadian bank-issued US$ Credit Card for Canadians
• Canadian-based US$-denominated bank account offerings 
• Canadian-based Euro-denominated bank accounts

Bank Accounts in the USA for Canadians (and other nationals!)

The truth is, Canadians (and other nationals) can open up accounts at other banks, and shouldn't have any difficulties with the larger ones, like Bank of America (which is rather accepting of Canadians) and Washington Mutual (which is becoming Chase, but does plenty of business in Washington State).

Take a look on the banks' websites to see which account works best for you, if any. Call your selected bank to see if they have a branch that specifically deals with Canadians or more specialty stuff, and then call that branch. Make an appointment with them if possible, and get an idea of which documents you will need to bring. You will have to make a trip to the USA at some point to open up these accounts, there is no way around it, other than RBC's US Division, where you can open up an account in Canada.

The problem with RBC's offering is that it can be hard to avoid the monthly fees, but they do make it easy to do transfers between your RBC Canada and RBC USA accounts. The choice is really your own, but since I go to the USA semi-often, it was just as easy to go into a branch and open an account. 

Why Not Bank of America?

On the surface, they seem like a good choice, a large bank with branches all over the place, and they will open checking/chequing and savings accounts for Canadians as long as they meet the documentation requirements (I used my passport and my driver's license). I've also found their online chat-help system to be pretty good, they seem to know how to deal with Canadians. Bank of America also has a toll-free number, which I'd imagine some of the really small banks may not have. 

The problem is that they're now charging monthly fees on bank accounts if you don't open them online, and as a Canadian, you can't open it online, you have to do it in-branch. You may be able to get a branch manager to waive these fees, it is hard to say, so call the branch and see what they can do.

What I really recommend is to find a directory of banks in your chosen area that you'll visit/vacation in, and check out their offerings online, but watch out for online-only offers.