Banking Services in Greece

Greek banks have come a long way in the last few years and offer the majority of the services one would expect from any European Union country including user-friendly ATMs, Internet and
Telephone abnking, credit cards, loans and mortgage services. Needless to say transactions are easier since the introduction of the euro in 2002.

Opening times

Banks are open Monday to Friday 8am to 2pm but close on Fridays at 1.30pm Fridays.

Opening an account

You will need to provide proof of identity and your passport in order to open an account and will normally need ID, otherwise the process is quite straightforward and is similar to that of most European countries. Most banks require a small cash sum to open an account, but this amount varies from bank to bank.

Withdrawals

You will need your ID when making withdrawals in person. Watch out for A TM charges - if you withdraw from a bank other than your own, commission charges will be levied on each transaction.

Interest rates

Interest rates vary from one bank to another, but are around 3 percent on a current account. Interest is normally credited to your account twice a year.

Paying bills

Your bank account can be used to pay most household bills directly, either through the Internet or at an A TM without charges being levied. However, most bills carry a fee if you pay them at the teller's desk.

Waiting times

State-owned banks such as the National Bank of Greece tend to have longer waiting times, but queues can also be long in private banks such as Alpha Bank and EFG Eurobank. Take a book at peak times or try and go at 8am if you want to avoid a wait.

Information on individual banks

The Hellenic Bank Association is a non-profit organisation which represents banks and other financial institutions operating in Greece (see below). Its website contains easy links to all the Greek banks in a drop-down A-Z format. Evresi, a business directory which lists Greek companies with websites (see below) also provides basic information and links to banking and insurance sites. Interhellas gives quite a comprehensive guide to the range of services offered by Greek banks, although the site is not as regularly updated as it could be, so do explore the range of sites given below.

List of main banks (A-Z order)

ABN AMRO Bank, Agricultural Bank, Alpha Bank, Aspis Bank, Bank of Attica, Bank of Cyprus, Citibank, Emporiki Bank (formerly the Commercial Bank of Greece) EFG Eurobank - Ergasias, Egnatia Bank, General Bank of Greece, HSBC Bank, ING Bank, National Bank of Greece, Nova Bank, Piraeus Bank and Win Bank, the latter's electronic banking subsidiary.

Banking ombudsman

A banking ombudsman deals with complaints about banking services provided by banks that are members of the banking ombudsman scheme, which includes all of those given in the list above.

Useful contacts

The Hellenic Bank Association: 1 Massalias Street, 106 80 Athens, tel 210 338 6500, fax 210 361 5324, website www.hba.gr

Evresi: A Greek business directory, www.evresi.gr

Intemellas: A business directory and holiday bookings service, www.interhellas.com

Banking ombudsman: www.bank-omb.gr, email contact@bank-omb.gr

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