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Banking
Of the many different
banks here, I decided to use the Banco Nacional for our
bank for several reasons. It is one of the few
backed by the Government, it has branches all over San
Jose and in nearly every small town, my attorney uses
it, and it is the only Bank in San Ignacio de Acosta. I
opened a "dollar" account because it draws a
little interest and actually appreciates as the Colone
devalues each day.
Banking here is very
different from the US. There are some inconvenient
aspects to the systems here. The most frustrating for me
is the difficulty in getting money from a US Bank to my
account in CR. Wire transfers cost $20 on this end,
around $40 on US end, and take about 5 days. If I write
a check from my Bank of America account and
deposit it in my account here (it clears my B of A
account in about 5 days), but I can not have access to
the money for 45 days. There is no cost for this, but
the time is really inconvenient. I have tried using my
Bank of America Visa Debit card in the ATM's in San
Jose, but the transaction failed. I have not tried to
get cash from my MasterCard Credit card yet. For now, I
have just learned to adjust to this little
inconvenience. The other inconvenience is there are no
English speaking employees here in Acosta.
On the positive side,
there are BIG differences in Banking here in a small
town compared to the big banks in San Jose. The biggest
is the fact that all of the employees get to know
you and are very friendly and helpful. Lines are either
short or non-existent (avoid the first few days of the
month). I have all of the conveniences of the Bank card;
ATM cash in nearly every little town in country (for no
charge), security of transactions, (there are NEVER any
robberies of people leaving the bank), and it is very
close to home. When you go in the front door you are
required to pass through a metal detector booth and are
greeted by the armed guard. The same guard works every
day and is very friendly.
You can cash your own
Traveler's Checks at our bank very easily and quickly
for $US or Colones by just having your Passport. In San
Jose there was a 30 minute waiting line.
I have access on the
Internet to view my account transactions, balances, and
pay house bills. I have not found an English version of
B/N's site yet, but it is quite easy to navigate the
Spanish version.
If they ever get the time
for a check to clear down to something reasonable,
banking here will be as good or better than the US.
There are only four
Teller windows and two Customer service desks.
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