I suspect Running Bear is more talking about the smaller private (sometimes family-owned) banks in Switzerland. The three I know about are Julius Baer, Vontobel, and Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild. There are a number of others I’m sure with stellar reputations. I was just curious as to which one met his/her seemingly strict criteria.

The reasons for putting some funds there stem from a kind of survivalist type of mentality, and as a hedge against a hopefully unlikely massive depression or U.S. bankruptcy. During periods of geopolitical upheaval the Swiss Franc tends to outperform as it serves as a flight to safety. These small swiss banks have little to no exposure in the U.S. markets.