I totally sympathise, the US health system is just a disaster. YMMV but - I had a US bank account (I was a foreign student, low income) for 10 years. Didn't co

I totally sympathise, the US health system is just a disaster. YMMV but - I had a US bank account (I was a foreign student, low income) for 10 years. Didn't cost me a cent. Made money on interest, and had a perfect credit rating when I graduated. Found a small community bank that was free provided you kept a minimum balance of $1000. Savings and Loan are an equally valid alternative (not even sure what the difference is got the same service from both - except the S&L would cash foreign checks for free). Thing is, people think banks are evil for charging 14.5% APR for an unsecured personal loan. But they think these guys are great for charging a minimum of 29% APR - but as far as I could see more like 200%+ for an unsecured personal loan??? Holy math fail batman! Don't bank with citizens or bank of america, and do your due diligence like you would any other purchase. There are plenty of good banks out there who would be happy to do business with you. Go in, ask to speak to the bank manager, explain your circumstances, ask questions you already know the answer to to calibrate, and treat it like any other business arrangement. You're right a secured credit card is also better than these guys, they'll only charge you 27%APR or so. Still not as good as a bank.