<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Is it possible to open a USD bank account with a UK address?[/quote]

You can get a US$ account with CitiBank in UK. You get a debit card linked to the US$ account and a US$ chequebook(or checkbook even!!)
You can transfer between UK£ and US$, on-line or or by phone, and get a good rate. No direct Debit facility though.

I did try to open a US bank account before I owned a property and neither bank would entertain me - even though I did not want any overdraft facility. They said it was against banking regulations - money laundering etc - but I don't know if that is accurate.