Comments on: What Belongs in Your Safe Deposit Box?

By: Jared

Jared — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 06:00:03 +0000

As a banker, I can assure you we do not have copies of keys for safe deposit boxes. If a box needs to be opened without keys (eg: because the customer lost the keys), the lock has to be drilled out of the box. It’s expensive and the customer pays.

Secondly, there is no way whatsoever we could access someones box without them present. Our boxes are dual-keyed. They require a key that a bank employee has, and the key that the customer has. The box cannot be opened without BOTH keys in the box at the same time.

I can’t vouch for all banks; it may be prudent to ask your bank what security measures are in place for their safe deposit area, if you are concerned.

By: Why treasures in safe deposit boxes get ‘lost’ « Xenophilia (True Strange Stuff)

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:25:47 +0000

[...] from jnwcmr: For both my fireproof safe, and Safety Deposit Box, I keep all contents in sealed freezer bags. [...]

By: Natalie Barlow

Natalie Barlow — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:42:16 +0000

We had a fire-proof safe in our house, with all important papers in it. Our house was broken into and one of the things that was stolen was our safe. So now all our papers are kept at the bank in a SDB. At the BofA we go to, the bank doesn't have a key to our box, we have the only keys. We don't need a bank clerk to let us in, we put our hand in a slot and it reads our hand, along with a secret code and the door unlocks and lets us in. .Some of the comments I've read say the SDB are too small, they come in all sizes..Lee

By: jamalogist

jamalogist — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:23:17 +0000

To everyone that thinks a firebox or safe is good enough — and that they live in a low-crime area, or have no valuables (videogames / jewelry / art): thieves who look for easy opportunities don’t know that. If they see a locked firebox, that is the first thing they will take. Same reason people snatch purses. It’s not important whether *you* have valuables in it — it’s important whether in general people store valuables in it.

Let me tell you from experience — if you want a sure fire way to quickly lose your WILL, your PASSPORT, your 7yr TAX FORMS, your DIPLOMA, etc all in one shot — please, put them all in a firebox, make sure to lock it, and leave it close to the front door, preferably visible from the outside window.

In conclusion — a firebox works against a fire. For everything else, there’s bolt-down safes, or safe deposit boxes.

By: Licia

Licia — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:39:31 +0000

Fireproof does not equal melt proof. Fireproof safes may prevent your items from bursting into flames but they will still get hot enough to melt CDs, backup tapes, jump drives, etc. They were designed and tested for protecting paper, not electronic data. Also, if your house burns or is wiped out in some other disaster, you may get access to the site in a timely manner plus your safe may be buried under a ton of rubble and not accessible anyway. That’s why offsite storage of important documents is recommended.

By: I’m getting a safe-deposit box. at The Wiser Miser

I’m getting a safe-deposit box. at The Wiser Miser — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:20:36 +0000

[...] you want to be able to access in case of an emergency, things you want to always be safe. Here is a pretty good [...]

By: heather

heather — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:57:55 +0000

When purchasing a fireproof safe for your home keep in mind that fire proof does not mean water proof!! I have friends who have had items destroyed by the smoke and water damage associated with a fire in their apartment building….the fire never actually hit the safe, but the smoke and water destroyed everything.

By: Law

Law — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:16:51 +0000

First: If you’ve ever seen a SDB you know most are made of thin materials. Fire is not what destroys your documents, when in a fire proof box, it is the heat, heat will turn your documents into ash and melt your precious metals right along with your digital media. Floods will also destroy your documents.

Second: Not to mention you box is not completely safe from theft. If you think that you’ve the only set of keys then you are dumb. Think, When the government subpoenas the contents of your box, the bank is not going to let them destroy the box and its holding area, nor are they going to call you and wait for you to open the box. The bank will over the spare keys. NOTE: Make sure you take a picture of what is in your box.

Third: FDIC does not insure your SDB. They only ensure money in your accounts. Trust Me on that one.

Fourth: Digitize Every thing you can. GPG/PGP Encrypt it and keep the files in an online file storage vault.

Fifth: Buy a gun protect your own goodies in a fire and water proof box. Buy vacuum food sealer and seal your important documents so they are water proof. Keep the Fire-Water proof box in the corner of the house. If your house catches on fire when the fireman arrives tell him that that corner of the house has your safe and keep it wet so it will burn as little as possible.

Sixth: Digitally record your house contents and your safe contents. Make sure to hit the SN/Model numbers of your main valuables and upload those to an online file storage as mentioned in number 4

By: Warning

Warning — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:14:42 +0000

Third: FDIC does not insure your SDB. They only ensure money in your accounts. Trust Me on that one.

Fourth: Digitize Every thing you can. GPG/PGP Encrypt it and keep the files in an online file storage vault.

Sixth: Digitally record your house contents and your safe contents. Make sure to hit the SN/Model numbers of your main valuables and upload those to an online file storage as mentioned in number 4

By: Dealing with Disaster: A Brief Guide to Emergency Preparedness

Dealing with Disaster: A Brief Guide to Emergency Preparedness — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:52:51 +0000

[...] Important papers. I use one of those portable filing boxes to store our most important papers (insurance information, social security cards, birth certificates, employee benefits information, etc.). (Some of these documents may be stored in a safe deposit box.) [...]