A couple that we know well, visiting up last evening. They currently live in a mountain ski sresort area in mid-British Columbia. There are some Americans who have bought condos there. She is a real estate agent.

We were all stunned to learn that alot of the Americans she deals with cannot get foreign currency exchange immediately to put down payment for a new home in Canada. Most deal with banks that are regional or state banks. So there's a more complicated and time-consuming process to get that certified cheque in Canadian dollars by using Thomas Cook as the exchange firm.

Hence each state or regional base bank has different policies and processes because each state may have different laws. Ridiculous in today's global economy.

This does not happen to Canadians..since our banks in Canada by law, are federally regulated according to federal law. I am aware of this since I had to deal with legislation for several employers which were organizations in the legal sector.

Any other insight here?