RE: CANADIEN OR U.S BANKS"with the canadien dollar so strong,would it be better to sell some BNS and buy a US bank,like BAC or C with div.of 4.6% and P/E ratio of 10.3 ??"
Pay gains tax on BNS, lose DTC, pay 1% to 2% commission for USD's, add currency risk, exposure to US housing market, etc
If Dodge continues to raise the overnight rate and the Cdn curve inverts our banks might start to come in. The $250B USD size of BAC and C makes growth through acquisition more challenging versus "Big" five. Big 5 "own" the Canadian market - that's worth something. Dividend POR for C and BAC near 50% whereas big five are at 35% to 45% based on 06E, IIRC.
The higher dividend is attractive but it is a lot easier to imagine a $30 to $40 billion CDN stock doubling than one that is $250B USD.
Google "bankstocks.com". That guy's website has some good articles on Citi and BAC.