Immigrants Send Money Home in Record Numbers
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 Many
foreigners send remittances to family left behind in their native countries. For
some the relatives still back in their home countries, remittances help
supplement income, but for others it may be their only source of income.
Immigrants recently arrived in the United States and earning relatively low
wages tend to send money often and in smaller amounts. They usually send $200 or
$300 home on a monthly basis. Foreigners who have been in the United States
longer and are better off financially tend to send money less often but in
larger amounts. It is estimated that worldwide remittances amount to more than
$126 billion. Remittances have become a considerable force in the economy of
many countries. Among the countries that receive the most in remittances are
Mexico, the Philippines and India. Last year Mexico received more than $17
billion in remittances. The amount of remittances in Mexico exceeds the amount
of foreign direct investment in the country. This is not surprising given that a
significant portion of Hispanics in the United States are of
Mexican descent.
Other Latin American countries like El Salvador are popular destinations for
remittances. In 2005 approximately $2.5 billion was sent to El Salvador. The
amount represented more than 13% of the El Salvador’s GDP or gross domestic
product. It is estimated that Latin Americans residing in the United States send
$30 billion dollars to their native countries.
Individuals sending remittances to their home countries resort to various
methods. They may send money to family with a friend or a family member visiting
their homeland. Others may do international transfers, but this turns out to be
expensive since transfers incur a charge of anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of
the money sent. In addition, those sending money may also incur higher costs due
to the exchange rates offered by the companies. Some companies that do
international money transfers include Western Union and MoneyGram. There are
other companies that charge a flat fee for up to a certain amount of money like
Mexico Express which sends remittances to
Mexico. Mexico Express customers can
send remittances, but they also offer to send documents and letters at no extra
charge. The remittance is then personally delivered to the recipients within 24
hours. Once the remittance is in the hands of the recipient, the majority of the
remittance ends up going toward food, services and goods. Whatever is left over
tends to be used to improve housing or buy property. It is estimated that only a
small portion of the remittances ends up being invested in the country. However,
this is a different story when the remittances are sent by mutual aid societies
in the United States formed by former immigrants who are now permanent residents
and U.S. citizens. Some of the members have prospered economically and raise
funds to send back home. The money has been used to improve infrastructure,
purchase computers for schools, and install water and sewage lines among other
investments.
The majority of the remittances are sent using money transfer companies, but now
commercial banks are introducing similar programs which are gaining popularity.
Banks like Citibank have started forming partnerships with foreign banks. They
have also made it easier for immigrants to open bank accounts by presenting a
consulate identification card. At Citibank a remittance of up to $3,000 can be
sent for $5 which is significantly lower than what money transfer companies are
charging. Bank of America has also introduced a similar program called SafeSend
where remittances can be sent to Mexico at no cost. Customers can transfer money
from their checking account and within a few hours the funds are available for
pick up in Mexico. Another option is to transfer money to an account of one of
Bank of America’s partner banks in Mexico and the funds are available the
following day. The customer can simply make a phone call to the bank and request
the remittance to be sent. In the process of introducing such programs many
banks are hoping to gain new immigrant customers who currently have no bank
accounts in the United States. The banks are offering perks like giving out
international phone cards or financial education classes to attract
immigrants.
Other financial institutions like the Federal Reserve also would like to see a
greater number of immigrants opening bank accounts so that they can take
advantage of services offered by banks and start establishing accounts.
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