I am happy about my banking situation right now. My happiness is due in part to having just arrived at a very frustrating few months while I was trying to straighten out a whole bunch of different banking arrangements related to my remote telecommuting and my small business.

We have current accounts based in more than one country. We were shocked when we first moved at the bank charges related to automated teller withdrawals from a foreign bank account. We still need to do this occasionally, but we calculated that the best way to save on bank charges is to always withdraw the maximum amount.

We were cautioned by our local bank manager about maiking transfers using intermediary banks because of the unfair bank charges related to this type of situation.

If you are ever considering moving to another country, I would recommend opening accounts with a bank that has a global presence such as HSBC.