I'm actually a little surprised at how quickly this worked.
But now that my dad is back in the States, I no longer have any need for my French bank account. Since I still have the checkbook (but somehow lost my CA ATM card), I wrote myself a check for almost the entire remaining balance. I left a little bit in there to pay the monthly assurance for my ATM card, which is lost anyways.
When I first tried to deposit the check at Bank of America, it was after work just before closing. I was told that the latest they'll do international check deposits is before 3 p.m., which sucks because I never get off work that early. But I can come in late....
So this morning I went to my bank and deposited the check. I didn't have to walk past any glass doors, didn't have to go through a security check. I didn't need to provide any proof of who I am, where I live, anything.
Yet, somehow the Euro always screws me. When I was in France, the Dollar had reached an all-time low against the Euro, so I was getting horrible USD-EUR exchange rates. Now that our economy is affecting everyone else, the Euro is dropping meaning the Dollar is getting a little stronger in the world economy. So while I could have milked it for all it was worth back in May when I was back from France, I only made 1.2 percent off my deposit today.
Now I'll need to email Credit Agricole and explain how I no longer live in France and would like to stop the monthly charges on my ATM card insurance. Thanks to logical French banking, it actually would cost me money to close out an account, but if I stop my insurance charges, I don't have to pay anything to keep it open....
But now that my dad is back in the States, I no longer have any need for my French bank account. Since I still have the checkbook (but somehow lost my CA ATM card), I wrote myself a check for almost the entire remaining balance. I left a little bit in there to pay the monthly assurance for my ATM card, which is lost anyways.
When I first tried to deposit the check at Bank of America, it was after work just before closing. I was told that the latest they'll do international check deposits is before 3 p.m., which sucks because I never get off work that early. But I can come in late....
So this morning I went to my bank and deposited the check. I didn't have to walk past any glass doors, didn't have to go through a security check. I didn't need to provide any proof of who I am, where I live, anything.
Yet, somehow the Euro always screws me. When I was in France, the Dollar had reached an all-time low against the Euro, so I was getting horrible USD-EUR exchange rates. Now that our economy is affecting everyone else, the Euro is dropping meaning the Dollar is getting a little stronger in the world economy. So while I could have milked it for all it was worth back in May when I was back from France, I only made 1.2 percent off my deposit today.
Now I'll need to email Credit Agricole and explain how I no longer live in France and would like to stop the monthly charges on my ATM card insurance. Thanks to logical French banking, it actually would cost me money to close out an account, but if I stop my insurance charges, I don't have to pay anything to keep it open....
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