Originally Posted by
st7860
the bank of american, USbank, and most branches near the canada/US border will easily issue accounts to Canadians. you just have to sign a W form saying you're not a US person.
within 2 to 3 weeks after opening the account, they will mail you a visa-check card in the mail, which is basically a debit card that can be used to spend money at any place that accepts Visa.
in the case of bank of america, they have a deal with scotiabank for no fees. you could withdraw money in canada without an ATM charge.
BofA will also issue a true BofA VISA card. I got my account in Blaine WA, and filled out a VISA application at the same time as my chequing and savings accounts(VISA card and VISA CheckCard came about 3 weeks later). The fellow who processed my application said that over half their business at that branch was with Canadians. You'll need to do the application face-to-face and they require a current Passport. I asked if they ever do mortgages for Canadians and he said they did quite a few. If you own property in Canada, there is usually not a problem. This was all quite enlightening, as I too thought you couldn't bank in the States without an SSN and US address. It sure cuts down on the exorbinant fees my Canadian MC and VISA were charging on currency exchange.