Snowbirds who do business with Royal Bank of Canada will be able to take advantage of the banks’ expanding North American presence through a new package available this winter.

RBC’s Snowbird Package offers special rates on banking, travel insurance, mortgage and foreign exchange services for long-stay travellers.

It is designed to give clients a worry-free stay south of the border by making it easier for snowbirds to handle their financial transactions from either side of the border from a single point of contact, while benefiting from an expanding network of RBC Centura branches and ATMs in the U.S southeast, particularly in Florida.

“RBC snowbird clients can now avoid the cold and snow as long as they want and feel comfortably connected to home by banking with a familiar face.” said Paul Smith, VP, client strategies. “Now, they can bring their bank with them no matter where they winter in the U.S.”

The package is available from RBC Royal Bank branches throughout Canada. It encompasses a U.S. bank account and ATM card, discounts on foreign exchange, a no-fee U.S. Visa card, an out-of-country medical insurance plan, a $250 rebate towards closing costs of U.S. properties arranged in the U.S through Chicago-based RBC Mortgage Company, and a dedicated toll-free assistance line for queries from within Canada and the U.S.

“Many long-stay snowbirds fall in love with property in the U.S. but have trouble getting financing because they lack credit history in the United States. RBC Mortgage lets our clients take their Canadian credit history with them and avoid that hassle,” said Smith.

RBC Centura, the U.S. retail banking division of RBC Financial Group, currently has 12 branches in Florida, which it expects to increase to 25 branches after the acquisition of the Florida branch network of Provident Financial Group is completed. In total, RBC Centura operates more than 250 branches, serving 800,000 clients in five states.