For large amounts of money, I think the best way is to open your new account, wire transfer (not ACH or check) the money to your new account, confirm that the f

For large amounts of money, I think the best way is to open your new account, wire transfer (not ACH or check) the money to your new account, confirm that the funds are received, then close the old account. This will likely cost ~$25 depending on your old bank but it avoids the hold periods you'll otherwise get with a check (even a cashier's check) or ACH transfer, as well as issues with moving physical cash. You don't need to worry about AML/KYC laws, those are the bank's problem. In fact, using smaller transfers to avoid hitting the $10k threshold is illegal.