What Swiss banks will open an online account for US residents?

Question

I know for a fact that many Swiss banks will open an online account for US residents. There are in fact many companies online (just search for "swiss bank account") that will "make the introduction" (i.e. sell you the link to the bank website) for under $100. Does anyone know the web addresses of some of these banks? I feel silly paying $100 for something that is accessible for free.

Answer 1

Swiss bank accounts must be opened in person.On-line offerings are not serious.
All major Swiss banks will accept US residents if you deposit the minimum amount defined by the bank. It is also important to mention that the banks will bill you significant fees.

Here the links of some Swiss banks I would consider:

http://www.ubs.com
http://www.credit-suisse.com
http://www.bankjuliusbaer.com
http://www.sarasin.com

Answer 2

While I can't say for certain, I've always heard that Swiss bank accounts must be opened in person. You can get an online link once you have an account but I don't think that you can open one. There's also a lot of things you better know about too before you open an offshore account and the biggest one is that once you have over $10,000 outside the country with all you accounts combined that you must report it yearly to the Treasury Dept when you do your taxes. If you're doing it for secrecy then the secret will be out. If its for safety then its another matter. Also look at the fees. There will be plenty. Most offshore banks don't want Americans anymore as our govt makes it a pain to deal with our citizens since they presume that if you want to keep money offshore that you must be up to something. Safety never occurs to them. There are also minimums and the Swiss ones are usually high. Austria is better and so is Scotland maybe even Canada. If you are just looking for currency diversification then you can look at EVERBANK right here in the USA. Its online and you can bank in any number of currencies there. Good luck with it.

Answer 3

Yes, it is very easy in Luxembourg, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. porbably in many offshore banking locations in the Caribbean, as well like Bermuda or Grand Caymans. You would need a a significant amount to be worth it for you and for the bank. It is unlikely that an individual can have an account in euros in the US due to extremeley low demand at banks for such accounts, consumer liability and federal reserve bank reporting requirements/regulations.