Xfer United States Funds To Kasikorn Bank Thailand

[LoveDaBlues]

Okay, I've transferred money from my United States account to my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand many times with no problems. I use Bangkok Bank in New York City as the 'intermediary' bank.

I've also transferred money from my U.S. account to Krung Thai Bank in Thailand in basically the same way but use Krung Thai Bank in Los Angeles as the 'intermediary' bank.

I initiate all the above transfers myself using my U.S. bank's website; simple and no problems.

It's my understanding that money sent from the United States must be sent thru a bank approved/designated to do international transfers.

I just opened an account with Kasikorn Bank here in Thailand. The guy at the bank seemed a little confused when I asked him about an 'intermediary' or 'sister' bank in the United States so I could transfer money to my new account. He said I could find all the information I needed to transfer funds from the United States on the Kasikorn website. This has proven to not be true unless I've overlooked the info.

Anyway, after some research I've come up with the following info and want to verify it from those who have transferred money from the U.S. to Kasikorn Bank in Thailand.

Bank Name: KASIKORNBANK, L.A. AGENCY

Location: LOS ANGELES, California

Routing Number: 1220-3767-6

SWIFT code: KASITHBK

Is this routing # and other info correct? Is this bank a good 'intermediary' bank to use to send funds from the U.S. to Thailand?

Thanks in advance. LDB.

[LoveDaBlues]

okay now.....where's all the Kasikorn Bank ppl?

[Phil Conners]

They all went to CBL

[LoveDaBlues]

uhhhh........what's CBL?

[Forkinhades]

is it more than 20000$ if so I heard that the thai government will hold on to it for 1 year.........lol

[Phil Conners]

Duh, what was I thinking of .. I meant SCB ... sorry

[beechguy]

is it more than 20000$ if so I heard that the thai government will hold on to it for 1 year.........lol

I think it was 30% of the deposit, but depended on the purpose of the transfer. There were exemptions for certain purposes. I haven't seen anybody mention it lately,

I wonder if it's still being enforced.

[blacklabel]

[quote name='LoveDaBlues' date='2007-04-27 11:33:28' post='1273129'

I just opened an account with Kasikorn Bank here in Thailand.

With wat visa may i ask? I keep having problems to open an acc with tourist visa and if u did open it with a tourist visa can u pm me the branch...many tks in advance cheers chongaew

[old wanderer]

I just open a Kasikorn bank account last week ( O Visa) because of the Los Angeles office. Since I lie in Los Angeles, I will just got to the bank and make a deposit or transfer to my account.

However, after doing the intial opening of the account, I was then back in BKK where I went to Bank of Ayudya an asked to withdraw 500,000 b thinking I would walk up stairs at Future Pank and deposit it in my Kasikorn acct.

1st, Limit of 300,000 withdrawl,s

2. Deposited 350,000b in Kasikorn bank and was charged 1% (350b) because my bank was in a different city in Thailand.

Never assume what you are used to in banking practices apply in Thailand.

Call the Los Angeles bank and ask them the question directly.

[LoveDaBlues]

I just opened an account with Kasikorn Bank here in Thailand.

With wat visa may i ask? I keep having problems to open an acc with tourist visa and if u did open it with a tourist visa can u pm me the branch...many tks in advance cheers chongaew

I have retirement visa.

[LoveDaBlues]

Looks like there are no Thaivisa members from the states who use kasikorn bank.

[Naam]

2. Deposited 350,000b in Kasikorn bank and was charged 1% (350b) because my bank was in a different city in Thailand.

Never assume what you are used to in banking practices apply in Thailand.

350 B = 1% of 350k?

[bikerlou47]

I do transfer monies every month from Bank of America to Kasikorn with no problem.

One time I transfered over 20000 USD and I had to wait a few days but that was only because the bank manager was not very helpful.

If the transfer is over 20000 USd go to the bank manager after the transfer and let him know, you will have to sign a piece of paper then he will call Bangkok and the monies will be released.

I am not aware of any sister bank or an issue as you stated in your question.

To execute the transfer you neem the swift number, account number and address of bank.

[Badbanker]

It seems to me that you are not used to doing international tranfers and are not aware that in doing this, your bank in the US makes the decision which intermediary bank to use.

As Kasikorn still has a branch in New York I think, this may be the routing bank for your transaction, I would call to them and ask at :

45 Rockefeller plz

New York, NY 10111

(212) 698-8520

Normally a wire does not require you to specifiy which intermediary bank is required unless it is a multi million dollar transfer.

Badbanker

[fiddlehead]

I am not aware of any sister bank or an issue as you stated in your question.

To execute the transfer you neem the swift number, account number and address of bank.

I transferred 800,000 baht back in December while i was in the states. I did need to know Kasikorn bank's New York City's affiliate bank which i believe was Bank of America but i am not positive about which bank it was. i then asked the bank person to save all that info in case i want to transfer money again which she said she would do no problem.

[LoveDaBlues]

It seems to me that you are not used to doing international tranfers and are not aware that in doing this, your bank in the US makes the decision which intermediary bank to use.

As Kasikorn still has a branch in New York I think, this may be the routing bank for your transaction, I would call to them and ask at :

45 Rockefeller plz

New York, NY 10111

(212) 698-8520

Normally a wire does not require you to specifiy which intermediary bank is required unless it is a multi million dollar transfer.

Badbanker

Thanks for the reply. I believe you didn't read my OP carefully as I xfer money all the time.

I do all my xfer's from here in Thailand by using my US bank's website. One of the banks I use in the US specifically asks for the intermediary bank info; they do no make the decision on which intermediary bank to use. The other US bank I just enter the routing number and other info required for the US intermediary bank and the money gets sent on to my Thai account.

If you're talking about calling or walking into a US bank then yes I would agree that you would simply give them your Thai bank account info and they would handle the details such as intermediary bank, etc.

LDB

[LoveDaBlues]

I transferred 800,000 baht back in December while i was in the states. I did need to know Kasikorn bank's New York City's affiliate bank which i believe was Bank of America but i am not positive about which bank it was. i then asked the bank person to save all that info in case i want to transfer money again which she said she would do no problem.

It depends on HOW one transfers the money. If you're in the bank in the US then yes....just give the teller your Thailand bank info; they handle the rest.

However I use the US banks websites and this requires you to know the info ahead of time in order to correctly fill in the fields required.

Thanks for the reply, LDB.

[macone]

I did a wire transfer from my Citibank account in the USA to my Kasikorn Bank account in Bangkok last week. When I opened the account at Kasikorn Bank I told them that I would be doing a wire transfer in the near future. The clerk at the Kasikorn Bank handed me a paper with the banks name,

Swift Code:" KASITHBK" and telephone number for English help, Tel. 02-888-8800. I went online to my Citibank Account to the International Wire Transfer section and filled in the information. I filled in that I wanted to send US Dollar to Thailand. I completed all the information at about 5:00 pm Thai time. I had checked the exchange rate for changing a $100 Dollar Bill in person at the bank for that day.The next day at 10:30 AM I went to the Kasikorn Bank and the money was in the account. The exchange rate was almost exactly the same as if I had changed $100 Dollar Bill at the bank in Thiland.The charge for the wire transfer was $30 US Dollar. This charge was debited from my US Citibank account. The transfer of money was very straight forward and clear to understand. It appears that the use of intermedate banks and other information is confusing what actually should be a simple transaction.

[LoveDaBlues]

I did a wire transfer from my Citibank account in the USA to my Kasikorn Bank account in Bangkok last week. When I opened the account at Kasikorn Bank I told them that I would be doing a wire transfer in the near future. The clerk at the Kasikorn Bank handed me a paper with the banks name,

Swift Code:" KASITHBK" and telephone number for English help, Tel. 02-888-8800. I went online to my Citibank Account to the International Wire Transfer section and filled in the information. I filled in that I wanted to send US Dollar to Thailand. I completed all the information at about 5:00 pm Thai time. I had checked the exchange rate for changing a $100 Dollar Bill in person at the bank for that day.The next day at 10:30 AM I went to the Kasikorn Bank and the money was in the account. The exchange rate was almost exactly the same as if I had changed $100 Dollar Bill at the bank in Thiland.The charge for the wire transfer was $30 US Dollar. This charge was debited from my US Citibank account. The transfer of money was very straight forward and clear to understand. It appears that the use of intermedate banks and other information is confusing what actually should be a simple transaction.

Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to confuse anything; but you have to understand that not all banks in the United States and Thailand work the same. (At least this has been my experience).

example: When I opened my Krung Thai account in Thailand I also told the clerk I would be doing wire transfers via my US bank's website. She handed me a paper that contained the SWIFT code (KRTHTHBK). Also on the paper is a list of 7 intermediate banks which she told me I MUST GO THRU FIRST in order to transfer funds from my US bank account to my Krung Thai bank account. This is what I've done for 2 years and never had a problem transferring money.

I suspect your funds go thru an intermediary bank; the Citibank website's software must handle the details in the background.

LDB

[Misty]

I've transferred money any number of times from the US to my Kasikorn Bank account, (as well as vice versa). To initiate the transfer, I fax my US bank a copy of their wire transfer form, which only asks for Kasikorn's Swift code, branch contact details, and my account number. They've never needed me to name an intermediary bank. The transfer goes from my US account, through Citibank N.A., to my Kasikorn Bank account.

Cheers, Misty

[LoveDaBlues]

I've transferred money any number of times from the US to my Kasikorn Bank account, (as well as vice versa). To initiate the transfer, I fax my US bank a copy of their wire transfer form, which only asks for Kasikorn's Swift code, branch contact details, and my account number. They've never needed me to name an intermediary bank. The transfer goes from my US account, through Citibank N.A., to my Kasikorn Bank account.

Cheers, Misty

They don't need you to name an intermediary because they find this information for you. In this case the intermediary bank is Citibank.

I am working STRICTLY on the web; no faxes, no phone calls. I don't have a phone line (or fax machine for that matter) where I live.

I just received an email reply to my email I sent to Kasikorn bank in Los Angeles. They have given me the info for the 2 intermediary banks they use in the United States. Now I have the info I need to initiate the xfer's from my bank's web site.

Thanks for the replys everyone.

LDB

[donx]

I did a wire transfer from my Citibank account in the USA to my Kasikorn Bank account in Bangkok last week. When I opened the account at Kasikorn Bank I told them that I would be doing a wire transfer in the near future. The clerk at the Kasikorn Bank handed me a paper with the banks name,

Swift Code:" KASITHBK" and telephone number for English help, Tel. 02-888-8800. I went online to my Citibank Account to the International Wire Transfer section and filled in the information. I filled in that I wanted to send US Dollar to Thailand. I completed all the information at about 5:00 pm Thai time. I had checked the exchange rate for changing a $100 Dollar Bill in person at the bank for that day.The next day at 10:30 AM I went to the Kasikorn Bank and the money was in the account. The exchange rate was almost exactly the same as if I had changed $100 Dollar Bill at the bank in Thiland.The charge for the wire transfer was $30 US Dollar. This charge was debited from my US Citibank account. The transfer of money was very straight forward and clear to understand. It appears that the use of intermedate banks and other information is confusing what actually should be a simple transaction.

Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to confuse anything; but you have to understand that not all banks in the United States and Thailand work the same. (At least this has been my experience).

example: When I opened my Krung Thai account in Thailand I also told the clerk I would be doing wire transfers via my US bank's website. She handed me a paper that contained the SWIFT code (KRTHTHBK). Also on the paper is a list of 7 intermediate banks which she told me I MUST GO THRU FIRST in order to transfer funds from my US bank account to my Krung Thai bank account. This is what I've done for 2 years and never had a problem transferring money.

I suspect your funds go thru an intermediary bank; the Citibank website's software must handle the details in the background.

LDB

LDB, when you perform the transfer via the web are you still charged a $30 (or more or less) fee for the transfer? From what macone is saying the normal SWIFT transfer fees apply but I want to make sure that is also the case for you since I thought I remember seeing something a while back about someone transferring funds from a US Bangkok Bank account to a Thai Bangkok Bank account and not having to pay the standard SWIFT fee.

I don't have a Thai bank account but my wife has one. I have a Suntrust bank account but their SWIFT fee increased from $30 to $50 the last time I used them. I'd really like to find a cheaper alternative to sending large sums of money from the US to Thailand. I understand your main reason for going through the website to transfer your funds is the convenience factor. I'd just like to know if it also saves you in transfer fees.

[sonicdragon]

I've transferred money any number of times from the US to my Kasikorn Bank account, (as well as vice versa). To initiate the transfer, I fax my US bank a copy of their wire transfer form, which only asks for Kasikorn's Swift code, branch contact details, and my account number. They've never needed me to name an intermediary bank. The transfer goes from my US account, through Citibank N.A., to my Kasikorn Bank account.

Cheers, Misty

They don't need you to name an intermediary because they find this information for you. In this case the intermediary bank is Citibank.

I am working STRICTLY on the web; no faxes, no phone calls. I don't have a phone line (or fax machine for that matter) where I live.

I just received an email reply to my email I sent to Kasikorn bank in Los Angeles. They have given me the info for the 2 intermediary banks they use in the United States. Now I have the info I need to initiate the xfer's from my bank's web site.

Thanks for the replys everyone.

LDB

The term you are looking for is "correspondent bank". Many bank's won't understand what "intermediary bank" means.

Anyway, when remitting funds from overseas in USD the correspondent bank will normally be a bank in new york (BofA, Citibank etc etc) who your bank in thailand maintains a "senior correspondent" relationship with (hence the term Correspondent Bank). To avoid problems with the offshore rate it is better if you remit the USD funds directly to the correspondent bank in new yourk, with the additional instruction of "onward credit" to your own account with kasikorn - or at the very least to specify a USD credit to your thai account and to also specify the correspondent bank details.

[LoveDaBlues]

I've transferred money any number of times from the US to my Kasikorn Bank account, (as well as vice versa). To initiate the transfer, I fax my US bank a copy of their wire transfer form, which only asks for Kasikorn's Swift code, branch contact details, and my account number. They've never needed me to name an intermediary bank. The transfer goes from my US account, through Citibank N.A., to my Kasikorn Bank account.

Cheers, Misty

They don't need you to name an intermediary because they find this information for you. In this case the intermediary bank is Citibank.

I am working STRICTLY on the web; no faxes, no phone calls. I don't have a phone line (or fax machine for that matter) where I live.

I just received an email reply to my email I sent to Kasikorn bank in Los Angeles. They have given me the info for the 2 intermediary banks they use in the United States. Now I have the info I need to initiate the xfer's from my bank's web site.

Thanks for the replys everyone.

LDB

The term you are looking for is "correspondent bank". Many bank's won't understand what "intermediary bank" means.

Anyway, when remitting funds from overseas in USD the correspondent bank will normally be a bank in new york (BofA, Citibank etc etc) who your bank in thailand maintains a "senior correspondent" relationship with (hence the term Correspondent Bank). To avoid problems with the offshore rate it is better if you remit the USD funds directly to the correspondent bank in new yourk, with the additional instruction of "onward credit" to your own account with kasikorn - or at the very least to specify a USD credit to your thai account and to also specify the correspondent bank details.

Finally! Someone who gets it! Yes I've found in Thailand that the term 'corespondent bank' is used. Also 'sister bank'. On one of my USA bank's websites it specifically says 'intermediate bank'.

As far as the funds going thru a New York bank yes this is true that many of the correspondent banks are located there. However there are others and I also use one located in Los Angeles.

I agree 100% with sending USD funds straight to the correspondent bank. I've always done it this way and the exchange rate I get is spot-on with the rates shown in the Thai banks themselves.

Thanks for the knowledgible reply.

[LoveDaBlues]

I did a wire transfer from my Citibank account in the USA to my Kasikorn Bank account in Bangkok last week. When I opened the account at Kasikorn Bank I told them that I would be doing a wire transfer in the near future. The clerk at the Kasikorn Bank handed me a paper with the banks name,

Swift Code:" KASITHBK" and telephone number for English help, Tel. 02-888-8800. I went online to my Citibank Account to the International Wire Transfer section and filled in the information. I filled in that I wanted to send US Dollar to Thailand. I completed all the information at about 5:00 pm Thai time. I had checked the exchange rate for changing a $100 Dollar Bill in person at the bank for that day.The next day at 10:30 AM I went to the Kasikorn Bank and the money was in the account. The exchange rate was almost exactly the same as if I had changed $100 Dollar Bill at the bank in Thiland.The charge for the wire transfer was $30 US Dollar. This charge was debited from my US Citibank account. The transfer of money was very straight forward and clear to understand. It appears that the use of intermedate banks and other information is confusing what actually should be a simple transaction.

Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to confuse anything; but you have to understand that not all banks in the United States and Thailand work the same. (At least this has been my experience).

example: When I opened my Krung Thai account in Thailand I also told the clerk I would be doing wire transfers via my US bank's website. She handed me a paper that contained the SWIFT code (KRTHTHBK). Also on the paper is a list of 7 intermediate banks which she told me I MUST GO THRU FIRST in order to transfer funds from my US bank account to my Krung Thai bank account. This is what I've done for 2 years and never had a problem transferring money.

I suspect your funds go thru an intermediary bank; the Citibank website's software must handle the details in the background.

LDB

LDB, when you perform the transfer via the web are you still charged a $30 (or more or less) fee for the transfer? From what macone is saying the normal SWIFT transfer fees apply but I want to make sure that is also the case for you since I thought I remember seeing something a while back about someone transferring funds from a US Bangkok Bank account to a Thai Bangkok Bank account and not having to pay the standard SWIFT fee.

I don't have a Thai bank account but my wife has one. I have a Suntrust bank account but their SWIFT fee increased from $30 to $50 the last time I used them. I'd really like to find a cheaper alternative to sending large sums of money from the US to Thailand. I understand your main reason for going through the website to transfer your funds is the convenience factor. I'd just like to know if it also saves you in transfer fees.

donx,

The cheapest way I've found (thanks Dave) to send money from the United States to Thailand is as follows.

Bank of America account ----> Bangkok Bank (NYC) ------> Bangkok Bank (Thailand)

Although I hate BofA they have a low xfer fee of $3.00. Then BB in NYC (the 'intermediate' bank) charges a flat-fee of $5.00. Bangkok Bank in Thailand charges the standard Thai bank fee of .25% of the amount transferred with a minimum charge of 200 baht and a maximum charge of 500 baht.

**************

As a comparison I have also transferred money from my Netbank account to my Krung Thai account in Thailand.

Netbank charges a flat-fee of $20 regardless of the amount transferred. The beautiful thing about Netbank is they impose NO LIMITS on the amount you can transfer. The 'intermediary' bank I use with this transfer is Krung Thai bank Los Angeles branch; they also charge a $20 flat-fee. When the funds are received by Krung Thai bank in Thailand they charge the standard fee as stated above. As you can see, one transfer method costs $8.00 on the United States side while the other method costs $40.00. Quite a savings if one transfers on a regular basis.

Here is an actual 'wire transfer history' from Netbank's website. Some fields I've 'xxxxxxx' for obvious reasons.

Note the red-bolded line for those who don't seem to know about 'intermediary' banks.

Transfer Amount: $4,000.0

Entry Date and Time: 11/27/2006 03:24:08 PM ET

Originating Account: My Money Market - XXXXXXXX

Beneficiary Name: Steven Xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary Street Address Line 1: xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx

Beneficiary City: xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

Beneficiary State: xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary ZIP Code:

Beneficiary Country: Thailand

Beneficiary Account Number: xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary Bank Code: KRTHTHBK

Beneficiary Bank Name: KRUNG THAI BANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

Beneficiary Bank City: xxxx xxxxx

Beneficiary Bank Country: Thailand

Intermediary Bank Name: KRUNG THAI BANK, LIMITED

Status: Completed

Completion Date: 11/28/2006 10:06:52 AM

Again, as I stated before.....I do everything myself from Thailand on my US bank's websites. Perhaps this is why I've had to educate myself a little on how things actually work.

Sorry for such a long post but I hope it helps someone.

LDB

[donx]

I did a wire transfer from my Citibank account in the USA to my Kasikorn Bank account in Bangkok last week. When I opened the account at Kasikorn Bank I told them that I would be doing a wire transfer in the near future. The clerk at the Kasikorn Bank handed me a paper with the banks name,

Swift Code:" KASITHBK" and telephone number for English help, Tel. 02-888-8800. I went online to my Citibank Account to the International Wire Transfer section and filled in the information. I filled in that I wanted to send US Dollar to Thailand. I completed all the information at about 5:00 pm Thai time. I had checked the exchange rate for changing a $100 Dollar Bill in person at the bank for that day.The next day at 10:30 AM I went to the Kasikorn Bank and the money was in the account. The exchange rate was almost exactly the same as if I had changed $100 Dollar Bill at the bank in Thiland.The charge for the wire transfer was $30 US Dollar. This charge was debited from my US Citibank account. The transfer of money was very straight forward and clear to understand. It appears that the use of intermedate banks and other information is confusing what actually should be a simple transaction.

Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to confuse anything; but you have to understand that not all banks in the United States and Thailand work the same. (At least this has been my experience).

example: When I opened my Krung Thai account in Thailand I also told the clerk I would be doing wire transfers via my US bank's website. She handed me a paper that contained the SWIFT code (KRTHTHBK). Also on the paper is a list of 7 intermediate banks which she told me I MUST GO THRU FIRST in order to transfer funds from my US bank account to my Krung Thai bank account. This is what I've done for 2 years and never had a problem transferring money.

I suspect your funds go thru an intermediary bank; the Citibank website's software must handle the details in the background.

LDB

LDB, when you perform the transfer via the web are you still charged a $30 (or more or less) fee for the transfer? From what macone is saying the normal SWIFT transfer fees apply but I want to make sure that is also the case for you since I thought I remember seeing something a while back about someone transferring funds from a US Bangkok Bank account to a Thai Bangkok Bank account and not having to pay the standard SWIFT fee.

I don't have a Thai bank account but my wife has one. I have a Suntrust bank account but their SWIFT fee increased from $30 to $50 the last time I used them. I'd really like to find a cheaper alternative to sending large sums of money from the US to Thailand. I understand your main reason for going through the website to transfer your funds is the convenience factor. I'd just like to know if it also saves you in transfer fees.

donx,

The cheapest way I've found (thanks Dave) to send money from the United States to Thailand is as follows.

Bank of America account ----> Bangkok Bank (NYC) ------> Bangkok Bank (Thailand)

Although I hate BofA they have a low xfer fee of $3.00. Then BB in NYC (the 'intermediate' bank) charges a flat-fee of $5.00. Bangkok Bank in Thailand charges the standard Thai bank fee of .25% of the amount transferred with a minimum charge of 200 baht and a maximum charge of 500 baht.

**************

As a comparison I have also transferred money from my Netbank account to my Krung Thai account in Thailand.

Netbank charges a flat-fee of $20 regardless of the amount transferred. The beautiful thing about Netbank is they impose NO LIMITS on the amount you can transfer. The 'intermediary' bank I use with this transfer is Krung Thai bank Los Angeles branch; they also charge a $20 flat-fee. When the funds are received by Krung Thai bank in Thailand they charge the standard fee as stated above. As you can see, one transfer method costs $8.00 on the United States side while the other method costs $40.00. Quite a savings if one transfers on a regular basis.

Here is an actual 'wire transfer history' from Netbank's website. Some fields I've 'xxxxxxx' for obvious reasons.

Note the red-bolded line for those who don't seem to know about 'intermediary' banks.

Transfer Amount: $4,000.0

Entry Date and Time: 11/27/2006 03:24:08 PM ET

Originating Account: My Money Market - XXXXXXXX

Beneficiary Name: Steven Xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary Street Address Line 1: xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx

Beneficiary City: xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

Beneficiary State: xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary ZIP Code:

Beneficiary Country: Thailand

Beneficiary Account Number: xxxxxxxxxx

Beneficiary Bank Code: KRTHTHBK

Beneficiary Bank Name: KRUNG THAI BANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

Beneficiary Bank City: xxxx xxxxx

Beneficiary Bank Country: Thailand

Intermediary Bank Name: KRUNG THAI BANK, LIMITED

Status: Completed

Completion Date: 11/28/2006 10:06:52 AM

Again, as I stated before.....I do everything myself from Thailand on my US bank's websites. Perhaps this is why I've had to educate myself a little on how things actually work.

Sorry for such a long post but I hope it helps someone.

LDB

LDB,

Thank you so much for the informative response. I greatly appreciate it. I'm sure others will also find this information valuable. Since I don't have a Thai account, I'll see about setting up a joint account with my wife at Bank of America.

One more question. Have you ever tried to transfer funds to another account besides an account in your name? The last time I transferred funds I think we used my brother-in-law's account since my wife's bank accounts in Thailand had been dormant. She now has an active account but it is probably in her maiden name so the name on the account will be different from the account we set up together at BofA.

Thank you again for your insightful comments on this board.

[LoveDaBlues]

Quote: One more question. Have you ever tried to transfer funds to another account besides an account in your name? The last time I transferred funds I think we used my brother-in-law's account since my wife's bank accounts in Thailand had been dormant. She now has an active account but it is probably in her maiden name so the name on the account will be different from the account we set up together at BofA.

***************

I think it varies bank to bank.

Examples: Bank of America WOULD NOT let the funds go thru when I tried to send to my wife's Bangkok Bank account in Thailand. I tried in vain to find out why. Bank of America has a lot of employees who don't have a clue about what they are doing. I've been given bogus info by BofA employees on many occasions. I suppose it's because they are so big and have a large turnover of employees.

Netbank DID let me send to my wife's Thailand account with no problem. I did the transfer myself on the web.

Another reason I love Netbank and hate BofA.

I'm guessing if you go to BofA in the states you can set up your wife's Thai account to be able to receive funds. However, before I left the states I would do a transfer to make sure it works.

[hagai]

Okay, I've transferred money from my United States account to my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand many times with no problems. I use Bangkok Bank in New York City as the 'intermediary' bank.

I've also transferred money from my U.S. account to Krung Thai Bank in Thailand in basically the same way but use Krung Thai Bank in Los Angeles as the 'intermediary' bank.

I initiate all the above transfers myself using my U.S. bank's website; simple and no problems.

It's my understanding that money sent from the United States must be sent thru a bank approved/designated to do international transfers.

I just opened an account with Kasikorn Bank here in Thailand. The guy at the bank seemed a little confused when I asked him about an 'intermediary' or 'sister' bank in the United States so I could transfer money to my new account. He said I could find all the information I needed to transfer funds from the United States on the Kasikorn website. This has proven to not be true unless I've overlooked the info.

Anyway, after some research I've come up with the following info and want to verify it from those who have transferred money from the U.S. to Kasikorn Bank in Thailand.

Bank Name: KASIKORNBANK, L.A. AGENCY

Location: LOS ANGELES, California

Routing Number: 1220-3767-6

SWIFT code: KASITHBK

Is this routing # and other info correct? Is this bank a good 'intermediary' bank to use to send funds from the U.S. to Thailand?

Thanks in advance. LDB.

I had the same problem a few months ago. My very simple question for their corresponding bank was answered in different ways, but never to my satisfaction. First they told me that I could use any US Bank and after I mentioned there branch in LA the confirmed it as their corresponding bank.

I finally send an e-mail to their branch in LA and got answer in a few hours. Should you still need the info, please check the attachment. JP Morgan Chase worked fine; the transfer was done in 3 days.

[Barefoot]

hagai,

Thanks for posting your attachment. That was exactly what I was looking for. The correspondent banks in the U.S. for Kasikorn Bank are Wells Fargo in San Francisco and JP Morgan in NY. The details are in the attachment. Thanks again -- I needed this info today before heading back to the U.S.

I had the same problem a few months ago. My very simple question for their corresponding bank was answered in different ways, but never to my satisfaction. First they told me that I could use any US Bank and after I mentioned there branch in LA the confirmed it as their corresponding bank.

I finally send an e-mail to their branch in LA and got answer in a few hours. Should you still need the info, please check the attachment. JP Morgan Chase worked fine; the transfer was done in 3 days.

[chocolate]

My experience in transferring money from the US to my Bangkok Bank, Thailand’s account through Bangkok Bank, NY was very good. Only took 1-2 days to get the money and the fees were small - - less than 5 usd deducted by Bangkok Bank, NY and around 300 baht deducted by Bangkok Bank, Bangkok. About the name of the intermediary bank, I have just talked with a Bangkok Bank staff, she was very helpful and knows a lot about international remittance. She told me that besides Bangkok Bank, NY, I could transfer money from my US account through JP Morgan Chase Bank, NY (SWIFT : CHASUS33/ Fed ABA Number 021000021/ CHIPS MBR 002) So last time I sent my money thru JP Morgan, NY (2,000 usd) and found that only 2 usd was deducted by them and 200 baht deducted by Bangkok Bank in Thailand and the got the money quickly too.