GOSTILITSA
BANKING
There are lots of banks to choose from. Here are two I've had personal experience with, plus a list of other well known ones with links to their websites where you can check out interest rates, exchange rates, charges etc.
Located at the beginning of the pedestrianised stretch in Dryanovo (just next to the Post Office), open Monday to Friday, 8.00am - 4.00pm. When I first arrived here I opened an ordinary current account with just a paying in book although you can have a debit card instead. Interest was paid each year and there were no charges for holding this account. The woman at the desk needed to see my passport along with my notary deeds as proof of address. I chose to open a euro account as it made it easier to transfer money from the UK. After signing a million pages and depositing some money she issued me with a little green paying in book which contained the IBAN, BIC and account numbers which you need for any electronic transfers.
I could withdraw up to 1000 euros or 2000 levs a day without penalty. Any more than that incurred a charge. (In August 2012 a 4000 euro withdrawal would have cost around 27 levs).
I used Covent Garden FX to transfer money from the UK. The money arrived immediately in my account without any problem although DSK charged 0.1% for the transaction.
As of December 2014 I switched my savings to this bank because of the better interest rate (which has since plummeted). They too do various savings accounts but read carefully as some incur monthly fees, others have limits on when you can withdraw or deposit, and some cannot be used with debit cards.
I went with the IQ Smart account which has a general interest rate plus a bonus if your account is above a certain amount. The interest is paid annually. There is a 1.5 lev a month charge for this account. I also got a visa electron debit card which can be used for online purchases. Cashpoint withdrawals are 0.2 levs from Fibank cash machines (1 lev from other machines) though if you go into the branch to draw out money it costs something like a lev.
I set up internet banking for which you pay a one off 28 lev fee for the electronic code generator needed for transactions. If you only want web banking to check your balance then it's free. It's easy to send money via internet banking and you receive a text message straightaway to confirm that it is you who has made the transaction.
ОББ (Обединена Българска Банка - United Bulgarian Bank)
CENTRAL COOPERATIVE BANK (ЦЕНТРАЛНА КООПЕРАТИВНА БАНКА - ССВ)