Bank Account.

Thanks for good posts! Is there someone else that have good experiences with other banks? Like BBVA Banco Francés, HSBC, Santander?
 
My experiences with HSBC in Bs.As. have been good, even though (I understand) the Argentine "branch" is only loosely affiliated with the parent British corporation.
 
RWS said:
My experiences with HSBC in Bs.As. have been good, even though (I understand) the Argentine "branch" is only loosely affiliated with the parent British corporation.
Every international bank here doesn´t support deposits from headquarters. They just guarantee up to ar$ 10,000 (I believe) what is mandatory from the Argentine federal reserve (Banco Central)
 
HSBC: i do not wish to go into the nightmare that i had with HSBC, but that was coupled with the dramas of buying a flat - but here is the basic experience...

I had a financial advisor who was helping me bring in the money - we sent some via an account in Belize, for the 30% downpayment. What i thought would be the most worrying part actually took 12 hours and my cash was presented to me.

The next part had to be done via the bank. My financial advisor had a contact in HSBC, in the big building next to Av. de Mayo. The account was not opened initially because the 'contact' went on holiday without finishing the process and noone else at the bank had any clue as to what was happening. It finally got opened with my name spelt wrong - then when i went to present the papers to authorise a transfer the branch was closed and the 'contact' had left her job permenantly.

So i then had to go to the Florida branch where i was told that no transfer could be authorised and there was noone who could attend to me. Obviously i was slightly concerned that i had to get the money in somehow to pay for the flat! Eventually after much patience i was given a phone number that my financial advisor could ring to explain the situation. The phone number was a fake, a fraud, not real... So he sent someone down to explain to HSBC that they were obliged to bring the money in as all the papers were in order, it was my account and there were no regulations not being followed.

then came the day we had to sign the escritura and make the handover...
On that day the woman, who had been causing us problems in the first place, made us wait half and hour to let me get the money out. In the end i got the flat. Perhaps HSBC are not so bad, but my experience was not good. I think that maybe your luck depends on the employee that deals with your needs.

I closed the account with ire - i would recommend banking in Argentina only when necessary. By stuffing dollars and pesos into matresses you are avoiding the beurocracy and regulations.

Did i mention that the bank, without me asking or permiting them, gave me life insurance?? another half-day was lost closing that.
All helped in increasing my spanish skills and teaching me about the country i now live in...

If anyone does have recommendations for banks then i would like to know - eventually i will be needing their services even though i might not want them.
Ideally we could do everything on the black market - 12 hours to bring in money under the table compared to three months 'en blanco'. And then people wonder why so much is done surrepticiously here...
 
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