Monday, March 09, 2009

Norwegian Banks

An obscure question, but I figured I'd find out sooner asking all my readers than searching for it on the internet, but does anybody know of any Norwegian banks you'd recommend?

I've gone online and tried to find different banks in Norway, but they're either all in Norwegian and I can't read it or they have offices in the US. Looking for a 100% Norwegian bank. Any recommendations/contacts/links?

Thanks,

El Capitan

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:43 PM

    wut

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  2. DnB NOR ASA (OSE: DNBNOR)

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  3. Looks like you just tipped your hat to one of the countries on your "move to" list.

    thanks Cap't!

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  4. Don't pick the bank which instructed the town of Narvik to buy CDOs. Both the bank and the town are bankrupt.

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  5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DnB_NOR

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  6. Anonymous8:29 AM

    Why not invest a grand in airfare and go find one? You'll get a European vacation thrown in. It's the off-season. Everything's cheap.

    That's how I got my token "Swiss bank account."

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  7. Anonymous7:36 AM

    The Financial Supervisory Authority should have some information. Haven't browsed through the pages myself though.

    Link to the English pages:
    http://registry.kredittilsynet.no/

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  8. Anonymous3:06 PM

    Bank2:
    http://www.bank2.no
    This bank is strictly Norwegian, I'm fairly sure.

    and Gjensidige bank's contact form:
    https://www.gjensidige.no/skjema/DisplayForm?formid=3644

    Part of a Nordic consortium I think, although the name is from a Norwegian insurance company that has been around forever. This is the bank I use.

    None of them are particularly good at having other language options though. But if you get an e-mail in, they should be able to answer in english.

    There are a bunch of smaller local savings banks. They used to be independent, but there's been a lot of mergers and consolidations in the Norwegian banking sector, so most are owned by a larger banking chains or are under some financial house umbrella. So determining which banks are strictly Norwegian takes some careful reading. We had our own housing-bank meltdown in the late eighties/early nineties, so the larger banks were merged and partly nationalized. They'e been mosly privatized now, although the goverment still owns significant stock. They're a mostly passive owner though, just making sure the headquarter isn't moved out of the country and such.
    The banks are allowed to run on strictly business based principles.

    We don't have CRA laws, but have had a housing bubble as well, so the banks were not as vigilant as they should have been. Kredittilsynet and the federal bank were constantly issuing warnings that the lending practices were too lax.

    The bubble has burst here as well, but it does not look like it will be nearly as bad as for the US. Prices dropped ~6% last year and have been somewhat stable of late, although they are expected bu most to drop some more.
    Unemployment is on the rise though, as Norway has a very open economy and the industry quickly feels the world economy changes.

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  9. Inge,

    Many thanks,

    And I mean this sincerely, you wealth on information actually makes you damn sexy.

    ;)

    Cpt.

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  10. Anonymous11:48 PM

    Hehe..

    I didn't know you were considering a 'lane change'.
    But hey, I'm game for anything.
    ;-)

    Inge is a boy's name in Norway, girls in Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Odd thing, and yes, hilarities have ensued.

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  11. Damnit!

    Will your Norwegians get your act together with the names!

    You defy the Euro and now standardized names. Next you're going to tell me Thor is perhaps female.

    I feel filthy now! I demand you line me up with a hottie Norwegian dame so that I may reassert my heterosexuality.

    ;)

    Cpt.

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  12. Anonymous12:40 PM

    So, so, out of the shower Captain, and quit scrubbing yourself with pumice.. :-p

    Well s he's taken, but there's my blond amazon swedish wife.
    Recently got a new colleauge though, blond, tall, single, PhD in mathematics.. Beauty and brains. ;-)

    Thor is still a boys name, spelled Tor though.

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  13. Paulina8:29 AM

    I ask the question again, as I research Norwegian banks today. NOK is 6 to dollar. Not great, but better than it has been lately.

    Any views on a regional bank like Sogne og Fjordane Sparebank?

    Anyone know the rules in Norway for overseas foreigners to have an account? What about tax consequences? Many thanks!

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  14. Captain, I was googling the exact same question and came across your blog!

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