I will be moving (as in "emigrating") from Germany to the U.S.
anywhere between June and September of 2002.

I am looking for a way to transfer my assets (both cash and stocks,
equivalent of five digit US$ amount) in the cheapest and safest
possible way from here to there. So far I have been unable to even set
up a bank account in the U.S. I have contacted a couple of banks, but
without a U.S. residence/address it seems impossible to get anywhere
near my goal.

I have the following needs/questions:

- Which U.S. bank will set up a bank account for me that I can
transfer money to from Germany prior to me even setting foot on U.S.
soil? (My spouse is a U.S. citizen and hence could provide an SSN, if
necessary.)
- Will I be able to transfer stocks (of European and U.S. companies)
in the same way or will I have to turn them into cash, transfer the
money, and reinvest once the money is in the U.S.?
- I want to avoid under any circumstances to use a c/o-address of a
relative or friend in the U.S.
- Online bank account access is a plus, but not a prerequisite
- I don't need lists of banks that may be possible candidates for my
requirements, I need specific names of banks that will actually allow
me (given my or my wife's status) to set up a U.S. based bank account
without any further hassle.

Destination is the Tampa Bay area (Florida). The
move is completely job unrelated. I am a German national.

Dear puddnpie-ga:

It is indeed possible to transfer both money and securities to the US
without having 1) a US address and 2) a social security number.  It
is, also, possible to transfer your securities to an US account
without liquidating the assets and converting them back into
securities once they are transferred to the US account.

Many banks would allow you to open an account without a social
security number as long as you open a non-interest bearing account. 
If the account is an interest-bearing account, a social security
number is required for tax purpose at the end of the year. Your
accrued interests will be reported to the IRS via your social security
number.

From my experience as a previous investment advisor working in the
security industry, there are basically two cheapest full-service
brokerage firms existing right now (E-Trade, Datek, Ameritrade, and so
on are considered as on-line brokerage firms and have limited
services, not full-service firms):  Charles Schwab and TDWaterhouse.
Other brokerage firms are higher end, definitely have more services
but also much more expensive.

Charles Schwab has what is called Schwab One International account. 
For this account, I believe you must open from your own country,
Germany, at the nearest Charles Schwab branch.  For more information,
please check out:  http://www.charlesschwab.com/SchwabNOW/navigation/mainFrameSet/0,4528,519,00.html.
The minimum balance of $10,000 is required to open the account.  It
also has a minimum annual fee of $100.  This account also allows
on-line trading commission of $29.95 per trade up to 1,000 shares per
time.  There is also a commission schedule depending on the size of
the trade.  In addition, there is a no-fee VISA debit card that can be
used against this brokerage account.  The banking services allow you
to deposit or withdraw funds in selected foreign currencies as well as
U.S. dollars.  If you are considering depositing checks from foreign
banks, you must contact Schwab International Representatives for more
details.   Once the account is open, there is no need to liquidate
your securities to convert them into cash and reconvert again into
securities.  All you need is to fill out a “Transfer of Account” form
with your application and the securities will be transferred
completely.
For international account, please contact: 

Charles Schwab, Ltd. Language services available: English and French
38 Bishopgate, Crosby Court
London, England, EC2N 4AJ
United Kingdom
Phone: +44-171-786-7102, Monday–Friday, 9:00–19:00 G.M.T.
Fax: +44-171-786-7172
E-mail: international@schwab.com

Charles Schwab, however, is only a brokerage firm and does not have a
traditional banking services.

The good news is TDWaterhouse, on the other hand, has both a brokerage
firm as well as a banking business with banking on-line access.
TDWaterhouse allows you to open a brokerage account from a foreign
country.  In order to open the account without a social security
number and a US address, you must fill out an application that
requires an address from your own country. For contact number outside
the US, please use 1-212-908-7448.   Once you moved to the US, you can
fill out a form for a change of address.  Without a social security,
you must fill out an additional form call W-8.  The application and
W-8 form will be sufficient for opening of the account.  There is no
need again for liquidating your securities to transfer the securities
to the newly open account. There is a minimum balance of $1,000 to
open (either in securities or cash or combination of both).  There is
no annual fee to open this account. This account also has a check
writing capability as well as debit card against your brokerage
account for withdrawal or depositing cash into the account. 
TDWatehouse has also on-line trading at a more competitive price per
trade as low as $9.95 granted that you open a TDWaterhouse Premier
Account. To qualify for this price, please see their rules:
http://www.tdwaterhouse.com/products/schedules.html


In addition, TDWatehouse has banking services that offer banking
account with on-line access. The form can be found at:
 http://www.tdwaterhouse.com/openacct/index.html 
I had researched the information by contacting TDWaterhouse services
1-800-934-4448, an account representative told me that banking account
can be open the same as the brokerage account with the above
information from abroad.   You are required to have 2 pieces of ID
(from your own country) with signature on them, or a credit card in
place of the ID and a check for $100 US as a deposit. You can also
open an account on-line via the following link:
http://www.tdwaterhouse.com/openacct/index.html 
Please contact them for more information , 1-416-983-0050 for a toll
free call from Germany.  Transferring of money, after the account is
open, requires only a wire transfer. It seems TDWaterhouse is the
one-stop solution for both of your securities as well as banking
needs.

If you do not wish to use banking services from TDWaterhouse, CitiBank
is also known among the investment community in the US as more
efficiently run regarding international transfer. I also agreed with
one of the Comments below on CitiBank.  Here is the information found
on CitiBank opening of account.   The requirements to open an account:
The person must not be a US citizen and resident
Must have a minimum balance deposit of $25,000.  Can wire transfer or
send a check.
Must have a bank reference letter or from reference letter from a job.
Must have 2 forms of ID's, one of which must have a picture like a
passport.
The number to call from outside the US is 1-813-604-3000 for further
inquiries or to obtain an application.

I hope the above information is useful for you and that your
transferring of assets to the US is an efficient one.  Welcome and
good luck on your move to the US.
For more useful links, please check the following sites: 

CitiBank's website in German:
http://public.citibank.de/de/set_.htm?prd10000.htm

TDWaterhouse's website:
http://www.tdwaterhouse.com/openacct/index.html

Charles Schwab's International account information:
http://www.charlesschwab.com/SchwabNOW/navigation/mainFrameSet/0,4528,519,00.html

A good way to transfer money (especially large amounts) from one
country to another while having no "status" or adress in the country
you will move in is actually to have a bank account in a german bank
with a branch in the USA.  First step is to contact your bank to make
sure they have an american branch which will allow you to
withdraw/transfer funds to a "real" american bank once you're there.

I've done it from Switzerland to Canada with the UBS and a canadian
bank account I opened once I was in Montreal.

Viel Glück !!

For the Deutsche Bank, 
Adresse in New York

Deutsche Bank AG
Investor Relations
31 West 52nd Street
29th Floor
New York, NY 10019-6160
USA

Tel.: +1-212-469-7125
Fax: +1-212-469-7322
E-mail: db.ir@db.com

Check with the large online brokerage firms (e.g. E*Trade, Schwab)
about opening a US$ investment account as a non-resident. I've opened
an E*Trade US account from Germany by mail, and then transfered money
to this account. The actual transfer of money is possible via a SWIFT
instruction from your existing bank - but ask about charges first.
Some banks charge a flat fee, others a %% of nominal amount.

Another alternative is to open an account with a US bank in Germany,
e.g. Citibank. You can use the ATM card in the US to withdraw funds,
and Citibank is also pretty effective in transferring money between
accounts held with Citi in different countries (I'm speaking from
experience between Hong Kong, Germany and UK, I never had a Citi US
account).

Viel Erfolg!

I looked thru WELLS FARGO which can be found at www.wellsfargo.com .
They claim to have 80 locations word wide and have the flexibility to
take care of all stocks bonds and personal banking all on line or with
42 state side branches. They have a partnership set up to make the
transaction personal with an repesentative to help with all your needs
. They have ATM locations so you I imagine can get off the plane and
go to anybank and check all invesmen=sts and transfers online. I did
not see a requirement for US citizen . The artical I read specified it
was for U.S Nationals ..:)
Hope this helps , enjoy Tampa its beatiful there my aunt has lived
most of her life there.