National City makes it easier to send money overseas

From a press release:

Cultural Communities Biggest Benefactors of New National City/MoneyGram Money Transfer Arrangement

CLEVELAND, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Americans who routinely send money to relatives overseas or who travel abroad will find it easier than ever to transfer money internationally and domestically thanks to a new agreement between National City and MoneyGram International, Inc.

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The two companies today announced that MoneyGram's remittance services are currently available throughout National City's 1,400 branch locations in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

While the service can be used by anyone, it is especially useful for members of cultural populations in Midwestern states who often send money to relatives living in other parts of the world and who don't always have traditional relationships with banks.

"For many people with relatives abroad, money transfers are quite literally a lifeline," said Michael Daugherty, vice president, MoneyGram's Global Payment Services. "And bringing fast, easy, and secure person-to-person money transfer capabilities into so many bank branches is extending that lifeline to a lot more people."

"We're always looking for ways to make life and banking easier for people in the communities where we do business," said David Bowen, executive vice president, Consumer Deposit Products. "Being able to quickly and easily transfer money virtually anywhere in the world from one of our branches is something we think people will find helpful, especially those in the cultural community who routinely send money to relatives living outside the United States."

The services are available to National City customers and non-customers alike, which means that anyone living near any of National City's branch locations will have a local, convenient resource for sending money across the country or across the globe. For many of the people who use this service, it will also be their first experience working with a bank and may provide them an avenue for establishing a relationship. It's estimated that 36 percent of the American population does not have a relationship with a bank.

(Press Release.)