Getting Bank Accounts While Nomadic

DavidS · November 1, 2020

Hi,

I have a mailbox with Escapees that satisfies the physical address, but banks today are asking for more than this before they let you open an online account. They require a utility bill or renters agreement. I don't have an RV/vehicle, so I can't use the vehicle registration option. Anyone have any suggestions or tricks they've used to get around/through this?

Thanks!

Ray,IN · November 2, 2020

Got a relative who will allow you to use their physical address?

Twotoes · November 2, 2020

You use the Escapees address but don’t have an RV or vehicle. Where do you live? Can you get mail there and use that address for the banks? All you need is a letter or magazine sent. You can still use Escapees address as your mailing address.

Kirk W · November 2, 2020

15 hours ago, DavidS said:

I don't have an RV/vehicle, so I can't use the vehicle registration option.

Welcome to the Escapee forums. I suggest that you contact one or two of the banks in Livingston and talk to them about it as they are familiar with the Escapee organization.

First National Bank, Livingston Open ⋅ Closes 5:30PM · (936) 327-1234

First State Bank, Livingston Open ⋅ Closes 5:30PM · (936) 327-5211

East Texas Bankshares (936) 327-5211

BBVA Bank (936) 327-2176

bigjim · November 2, 2020

Just thinking. This is under working while traveling so is this questions about business accounts vs individual accounts? If so is that different than individual accounts. I have opened new accounts sometimes and never had an issue. Admitedly most were CD' savings and at least twice with a "military" affiliated credit union and a couple of times at a "community" credit union.

hemsteadc · November 2, 2020

No RV, no apparent address... so where do you live?

Edited November 2, 2020 by hemsteadc

DavidS · November 13, 2020

Thanks all, just now seeing all these replies.

To answer your questions, I have resided in Thailand most of the past decade. Kept a mail service in Washington, my former domicile, throughout the years. In the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to do anything online or in terms of financial, as most places don't accept international addresses, and when you put a mailing address, the financial institution almost immediately knows it's a PMB or PO Box and rejects it. Kind of too late to ask a friend to use their address, as most of these institutions run checks to see if you have ever lived at that address and also ask for utility bills in your name with the current registered address on it. The Escapees TX address seems to resolve some of that as not being automatically recognized as a PMB. Was just wondering what most of you do, even being US based, if you are moving around in an RV. If you use Escapees for mail, you are covered with the address, but when you try to open a financial account and they ask for a utility bill, what do you do? I guess I should add that at present, I don't have a US driver's license (planning to get one via South Dakota next year, currently in Mexico now), which further complicates things, as the automated banking online systems don't accept a passport as automatic when it comes to approving applications. Thanks for all the suggestions!

bigjim · November 13, 2020

I am wondering if that D.L. issue is the real problem. I have mostly lived without paying rent or utilities by volunteering since March of 1997. The times I have "rented" a site the utilities were included so my only receipt was for the site with utilities. A few times I have been at parks that had a meter at the site and billed you for what I used. Most of those were Escapees Parks.

DavidS · November 13, 2020

17 minutes ago, bigjim said:

I am wondering if that D.L. issue is the real problem. I have mostly lived without paying rent or utilities by volunteering since March of 1997. The times I have "rented" a site the utilities were included so my only receipt was for the site with utilities. A few times I have been at parks that had a meter at the site and billed you for what I used. Most of those were Escapees Parks.

My guess would be though that you had a valid US address or bank accounts already open. When I try to open new bank accounts online today, they want a DL, then usually want either pay stubs or a utility bill to verify the address that I have listed.

Kirk W · November 13, 2020

1 hour ago, DavidS said:

The Escapees TX address seems to resolve some of that as not being automatically recognized as a PMB.

The Escapees address is a PMB and is registered with the USPS as such. It does not get around the federal legal issue of a physical address but still requires a physical address of someone, usually a close family member, through whom you can be reached.

bigjim · November 13, 2020

2 hours ago, DavidS said:

pay stubs or a utility bill to verify the address that I have listed.

It could be an issue for me if I make a change in the future I suppose as I have not had a pay stub since 1996. I do have proof of social security income and retirement income. And of course as I said I haven't had a utility bill as such even longer by a few years. A good number of years I operated mostly off my small solar set up.

NamMedevac 70 · November 13, 2020

I have been very fortunate that 4 major national banks have accepted my UPS store mailing address only now for many years with no physical location. What am I doing wrong. I opened some of these accounts within last 6 years.

DavidS · November 13, 2020

4 hours ago, NamMedevac 70 said:

I have been very fortunate that 4 major national banks have accepted my UPS store mailing address only now for many years with no physical location. What am I doing wrong. I opened some of these accounts within last 6 years.

It wasn't an issue prior to the Patriot Act. They are conducting more screening to ensure banks aren't used for funding terrorism. I have one bank that I have used my PMB address with for years and have 3 CDs with them. I wanted to open another one and even went into my online account, where one should be able to open new accounts immediately. Ended up getting flagged, had to call Customer Service. I told them the truth, that I was overseas most of the time and that this address was my only US address. First they told me they couldn't open the account, then they even told me that I wasn't going to be able to keep an account with them, then three weeks later the account was open! Go figure.

NamMedevac 70 · November 13, 2020

7 hours ago, DavidS said:

It wasn't an issue prior to the Patriot Act. They are conducting more screening to ensure banks aren't used for funding terrorism. I have one bank that I have used my PMB address with for years and have 3 CDs with them. I wanted to open another one and even went into my online account, where one should be able to open new accounts immediately. Ended up getting flagged, had to call Customer Service. I told them the truth, that I was overseas most of the time and that this address was my only US address. First they told me they couldn't open the account, then they even told me that I wasn't going to be able to keep an account with them, then three weeks later the account was open! Go figure.

Thanks for the additional info DavidS

gjhunter01 · November 17, 2020

Last winter, I needed a local address verification to open an account, so I mailed a empty envelope from the post office to the RV park I was staying at.

Edited November 17, 2020 by gjhunter01