diff --git a/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/SelectBankDialog.swift b/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/SelectBankDialog.swift
index 084a085c..8aacff6c 100644
--- a/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/SelectBankDialog.swift
+++ b/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/SelectBankDialog.swift
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ struct SelectBankDialog: View {
         Form {
             Section {
                 VStack {
-                    UIKitSearchBar(text: searchTextBinding) // TODO: try to get rid of the two horizontal lines
+                    UIKitSearchBar(text: searchTextBinding, focusOnStart: true) // TODO: try to get rid of the two horizontal lines
                     
                     HStack {
                         Text("Search by bank code, bank name or city")
diff --git a/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/UIKitSearchBar.swift b/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/UIKitSearchBar.swift
index d8eb46bf..f742ecb6 100644
--- a/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/UIKitSearchBar.swift
+++ b/ui/BankingiOSApp/BankingiOSApp/ui/views/UIKitSearchBar.swift
@@ -5,11 +5,37 @@ struct UIKitSearchBar : UIViewRepresentable {
     
     @Binding var text : String
     
+    private var placeholder: String
+    
+    private var focusOnStart = false
+    
+    private var actionOnReturnKeyPress: (() -> Bool)? = nil
+    
+    private var textChanged: ((String) -> Void)? = nil
+    
+    
+    init(text: Binding<String>, placeholder: String = "", focusOnStart: Bool = false, actionOnReturnKeyPress: (() -> Bool)? = nil, textChanged: ((String) -> Void)? = nil) {
+        _text = text
+        self.placeholder = placeholder
+        
+        self.focusOnStart = focusOnStart
+        
+        self.actionOnReturnKeyPress = actionOnReturnKeyPress
+        self.textChanged = textChanged
+    }
+    
     
     func makeUIView(context: UIViewRepresentableContext<UIKitSearchBar>) -> UISearchBar {
         let searchBar = UISearchBar(frame: .zero)
         
+        searchBar.placeholder = placeholder.localize()
+        
         searchBar.delegate = context.coordinator
+        searchBar.searchTextField.delegate = context.coordinator
+        
+        if focusOnStart {
+            searchBar.becomeFirstResponder()
+        }
         
         return searchBar
     }
@@ -18,22 +44,48 @@ struct UIKitSearchBar : UIViewRepresentable {
         uiView.text = text
     }
     
+    func makeCoordinator() -> Cordinator {
+        return Cordinator(text: $text, actionOnReturnKeyPress: actionOnReturnKeyPress, textChanged: textChanged)
+    }
     
-    class Cordinator : NSObject, UISearchBarDelegate {
+    
+    class Cordinator : NSObject, UISearchBarDelegate, UITextFieldDelegate {
         
         @Binding var text : String
         
-        init(text : Binding<String>) {
+        private var actionOnReturnKeyPress: (() -> Bool)?
+        
+        private var textChanged: ((String) -> Void)?
+
+
+        init(text: Binding<String>, actionOnReturnKeyPress: (() -> Bool)? = nil, textChanged: ((String) -> Void)? = nil) {
             _text = text
+            
+            self.actionOnReturnKeyPress = actionOnReturnKeyPress
+            
+            self.textChanged = textChanged
         }
         
+        
         func searchBar(_ searchBar: UISearchBar, textDidChange searchText: String) {
-            text = searchText
+            let newText = searchBar.text ?? ""
+            let didTextChange = newText != text // e.g. if just the cursor has been placed to another position then textFieldDidChangeSelection() gets called but text didn't change
+
+            DispatchQueue.main.async { // to not update state during view update
+                self.text = newText
+
+                if didTextChange {
+                    self.textChanged?(newText)
+                }
+            }
         }
-    }
-    
-    func makeCoordinator() -> Cordinator {
-        return Cordinator(text: $text)
+        
+        
+        func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool {
+            return actionOnReturnKeyPress?() ?? false
+        }
+        
+        
     }
     
 }