Since leaving the USA in 2015, I have maintained a bank account there. It seemed like a good idea. I thought I would probably be travelling there for conferences and such and perhaps I would even end up moving back there. I never considered the dreaded dormant account fee.
I was hit with the dormant account fee after some period of inactivity and this fee eventually whittled down my checking account to -$30, at which point the bank (mercifully) closed my account. When I discovered I was 'in the red', I also discovered that I still had $50 in my savings, so all I wanted to do was transfer $30 to cover the my debt to the bank and then transfer the remaining $20 to my bank in Australia. To do this simple transaction, here's what I have to do: I have to mail the bank a letter requesting that $30 be taken from my savings to cover the debt and the only way for me to get the remaining $20 is for them to mail out a physical check. But, get this, it can't be mailed outside the US! I'm just going to get them to mail it to our friends in the US and they can keep it as a thank you for letting us list their address on our US bank account.
This highlights something I find fascinating about the US. It is technologically advanced in so many ways. Their technologies are used all around the world every day and largely make our day-to-day lives better and more hassle-free. But there are certain things, where development seems to have just stopped. Banking is a good example. The country that put people on the moon has a banking system that belongs in the 20th century.
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