"Safe" Deposit Boxes? Lehto's Law Ep. 5.384

[@rastephens82]

As a young banking in the 1980s, I participated (strictly as a witness) in the drilling of the incorrect box for nonpayment of rent. There was almost never anything of any interest or value in the boxes we drilled for being abandoned like that. But boy, bust open the wrong one, and it was CHOCK full of collectible coins. Turns it we had accidentally drilled the box of a very good customer. Tried to call him up, but he was out of town. We meticulously inventoried the box under dual (really triple) control, sealed everything up, and locked it in the vault. When he finally returned and got our letter, he came into the bank to go over it with us, and actually thanked us for doing the inventory, said he had been meaning to do that for some time! What a relief that he was so nice about it!

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

I should have known that *Wells Fargo* is responsible for the loss of the watches from the safe deposit box. I've dealt with them and I'll never, ever do business with them if I can help it. Terrible company.

[@austinbenesh1193]

Moving to NJ from Colorado was his first mistake.

[@markmidwest7092]

This video got me into searching the internet for alternatives to safety deposit boxes. Different sites talk about basically using obfuscation, deception or baiting to protect items within your home. (meaning storing valuables in unlikely places and leaving valuables you're willing to sacrifice to a thief to satisfy their search). I did come across a company called US Private Vaults in Beverly Hills (of course) that provides this service (storing your items in a protected place offsite). Maybe more of these will pop up where demand warrants it. The biggest take-away I got from this video is storing items in a safety deposit box wasn't nearly as safe as I thought it was. Another life lesson I learned for free from Steve.

[@TC-vq6yz]

My husband and I have rented the occasional safe deposit box. Each rental came with a printed agreement. Each agreement clearly stated what types of non-monetary items could/should be placed inside, and that items of monetary value should not be stored there because they were not insured by the bank. Comes down to "read before you sign" or be responsible for your poor choices.

[@kzdiver6169]

Your subtle humor amuses me to no end!

[@kaddiddlehopper]

After the fiascos with Wells Fargo in recent years, I am shocked anyone still does business with them.

[@Cryptonymicus]

Wells Fargo? That explains everything.

[@duanejackson6718]

Cryptonymicus Wells Fargo made a good business of robbing their own stagecoaches.

[@court2379]

Exactly. History has proven not to trust that company, and yet he put that amount in their care.

[@davidcarlin3850]

The problem is there are no cameras in the area where customers sit and put in and take out. I worked for a bank in the 90s and we only had cameras in the teller area and the hallway. It’s your word against theirs if anything is missing. Keep your stuff locked away at home and document it for your homeowners policy. This is probably the safest method of getting paid back for missing valuables. And do not keep cash in a box at the bank.

[@daltongarrett7117]

sounds right.

[@MaxPower-11]

Yeah, as Clark Howard refers to them… “the criminal enterprise known as Wells Fargo”.

[@stevestalock3200]

Excuse me, I'll be back in an hour. I have to go to the bank.

[@luxurycardstore]

I used to work for a regional bank on the east coast of the US that is headquartered in Toronto. I rented out many, many safe deposit boxes to their customers. Like you said, the boxes are not covered by FDIC insurance, so therefore any contents with substantial value should be named in an umbrella policy rider on your homeowner's insurance. In the case of the watch guy they should have been insured by a business owner policy as he was a consultant to Christies and Southebys. As a consultant, the IRS considers him to be self employed, ergo a "business". When you rent a safe deposit box you must sign a "contract ". If you didn't bother to read it or you didn't understand it, you should ask questions. If you do but are not sure you got the right answer ask your insurance agent. If you pay for homeowners or rental insurance ask the agent who sold it to you if it covers your belongings away from home. Anything that you consider to be of high value deserves it's own insurance, not the bank's insurance. NEVER RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE TO DO WHAT YOU SHOULD DO FOR YOURSELF. If you do, in the end you could be bitterly disappointed. I guess you can tell from my response that I am also an insurance agent.

[@bigdogbandal]

Why aren't criminal charges being filed? A million dollars worth of watches missing and rules not followed while breaching a legal contract is felony theft

[@murphy13295]

Years ago I read a great safe deposit box story . A business man { I forget the country in Europe this happened } . < this man goes to the bank He'd done business with for a few decades to get his yearly business loan , He took out loans to buy inventory and then repay with profits of sales . He did this every year , same bank , always paid loan back on time . One year he goes into bank , see's same bank officer he'd dealt with long time . " i'm in for my usual loan , let's get the paper work started ' .... "no , not approving it this year " ... " you kidding ,why ? this is the start of my busy season , same as all other times , we've never had a problem " .... " sorry NO " .....' your killing me why not ? ...... " don't want to . " back & forth same same . The man leaves ,learns or figures out a business rival has bribed the bank officer to deny his loan . So he goes back to same bank , rents a large deposit box . Comes back the next day with a ten lb. block of frozen mackerel and puts in his newly rented safe deposit box . Then closes all his accounts with the bank . He knows that the stink will be evident in a few days and be hard for bank to identify which box has the offending contents . Going to take a long time to contact box owners and /or get court order to start drilling out boxes . ...... True story .

[@Kathleen67.]

lol

[@glorioskiola]

Great story.

[@nashuss9126]

Not brilliant, they can check only recently rented boxes.

[@fjb4932]

murphy13295 Using a shotgun when a rifle is needed. The bank is hurt. The bribed loan officer gets off scot free ...

[@57WillysCJ]

I have one that only has papers in it in case of a fire at home. I worked for a demolition company once, the is nothing safe about a home safe in a fire. Even ones buried in the floor fill with water and other crud. Better to spend more money on fire suppression systems. By the way more than one car collector lost his whole collection to fire. No fire suppression and not insured correctly. You really need to sit down with your agent and discuss what you need for total coverage on everything. Yeah it will cost more. That will seem like peanuts when the fire destroys everything. I would think that high security storage companies will take over the business some day. All that said, the guy should have regularly checked his box.

[@carlT1986]

57WillysCJ a lot depends on how long the fire burns and how much water damage you might get from fire fighters. I agree that even a so called fireproof safe will not do a very good job of preserving anything if the fire is substantial and long lazting.

[@patricknewlun7928]

God bless America!!!

[@autoclock50]

Wells Fargo didn't follow the law? I'm shocked.

[@fresh87best94]

Never knew the boxes arent FDIC's insured...thanks for this info sir!!

[@hotlavatube]

It sounds like five employees swapped their watches for what was in the safe deposit box and walked out wearing them.

[@richardlarson2969]

Steve, about 25 years ago I screwed up and lost my key to the safe deposit box so I had to pay a fee to the bank (I believe it was $125) for a locksmith to remove the lock cylinder that my key would have opened. Contrary to being "drilled out" as everyone always says, the locksmith inserted a device in the keyhole and another in a very small hole under the keyhole and then he used a device like a bearing puller (no doubt a tool not found in the average household in Sacramento County ) to slowly remove the lock cylinder by forcibly pulling the brass cylinder out of its hole. No drilling of any kind.

[@ludditeneaderthal]

The tool is known "in the trade" as a nose puller. It's one of a few techniques that actually work. The advantage is the nose puller usually does no structural damage to the "lock box" itself, so the Smith can rebuild it at lower cost than replacement boxes. I worked as the "in house" smith at a large hotel with safe boxes behind the front desk. We charged 100 bucks for a lost key, the lock boxes were about 15 bucks our cost (we'd buy 50 at a clip 25 right handed, 25 left). Drilling was noisy, messy, and required a trip down to the shop in the sub basement to fetch all the junk. The nose puller had a tendency to "spring" the framework for the box doors, and often jammed adjacent doors. I just salvaged an old worn out basin wrench from our plumbers, spent 10 minutes on the bench grinder modifying it, and used my home made tool as a punch. With a 3 lb. Engineers hammer it made short work of defeating the box. My record for opening one was 11 seconds. I would ask the guest who had forked over a c-note "do you want your stuff quick, or do you want your money's worth in show time?". Punching makes the lockbox unsalvageable, but the fee far exceeded costs, even factoring in my labor, so it wasn't a factor for us. In a bank a smith is maximizing profits on a service call by nose pulling or drilling and slide hammering

[@moosed]

I had almost the exact same problem. My mother passed away a few years ago. My sister, whom my mother lived with, was on the safe deposit box account as co-owner, so luckily the box wasn't sealed (some states do that if the owner passes). When we entered the deposit box vault, I noticed there were 2 walls of boxes with the same series of box numbers on each. There was a prefix for the left wall, and one for the right, but the individual boxes were numbered the same. Basically two boxes existed with the same number engraved on the doors. Unless you had the account signature card, you wouldn't know which of the two boxes matched your key. When my sister tried to open her box, the key refused to work. The teller showed us the account card with the number, and the PREFIX had been struck through and the other prefix written above. We looked at the corresponding box on the other wall, and it was standing open. The teller explained that customer had recently closed their account and didn't take the contents, so they drilled the box and sent the stuff to the home office in Raleigh, NC. The next day, a locksmith drilled the lock while we watched. The box was empty. It took the bank staff an hour to piece together what we already knew was wrong. The bank had previously drilled the wrong box, sent our mother's belongings to Raleigh, and notified the other customers to claim it -- which they did. There weren't any real valuables in the box: cheap jewelry my mother wanted to give her granddaughters, some silver certificate paper currency, and HER LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT. I was named as executor in the will, but because the will was gone, my sister became executor which was a major problem. Then my sister lied on the claim form, saying the contents were worth $20,000. The bank offered a settlement of $15,000, which I think was fair considering the problems not having the will caused. In the end, my sister gave me $5,000 of that as part of my 50/50 split of the estate. As I said, my sister being executor was a major problem. The bank was Wells Fargo in Shelby, NC. In the end, we received compensation for their error, but the headache it caused was more stressful than it was worth. I can't blame the bank for my sister, though.

[@TheJeffMiller]

I've rented a box at my local bank for decades. Just a little one I use to store a small amount of important papers. Costs me something like $30/yr. The bank has no idea what's in it. When you put items into a box, the bank employee is quite deliberate in leaving the room. They say it is for your privacy, but really it's about them having plausible deniability regarding the contents. A true "don't ask / don't tell" situation. If you expect the bank to insure against loss on the contents, that would start with you and the bank agreeing on a certified inventory, and further agreeing to keep the inventory current over time as items are added and removed. I don't see how the bank has any incentive to participate in that. They have every incentive to remain ignorant of those contents. If you are going to put items of significant value into a safe deposit box, you need to buy your own insurance policy on those contents. I'm surprised that someone sophisticated enough to have a multi-million dollar watch collection wasn't also sophisticated enough to have that collection insured. Given the negligible cost of renting these boxes, you can't reasonably expect to also be buying an implied insurance policy against theft (or even simple negligence).

[@douglaswilliams6834]

J.D. Miller Well said, sir.

[@mikeburns6603]

It's funny that the bank guy would say that 50% of the boxes are empty. I've gone to several banks and asked to rent a box, but they always tell me that they're all used and that there's a waiting list to get a box (in TX and CA).

[@kauske]

Those are two of the most populous states, and you might be in an abnormal area. Think of all the banks in less populated places that have vacant boxes, it's likely not going to be uniformly spread, but the statistic is that roughly 50% of boxes are un-rented. It might also be your local banks are not full, but they want to discourage you without leaving you room to complain. If they tell you they're all full, most people won't get outraged unlike if they said "Oh, we don't offer new ones and existing ones are only a legacy product for existing customers."

[@chug-a-lugdoug4638]

There is another little known law that if there is a financial emergency, the banks dont have to give your money to you.

[@dragonore2009]

Seems a person can't win for losing. Store your contents at a bank's safety deposit box and it gets emptied by mistake. Store your contents at home and you can be robbed. Transport your stuff over the highways to another place and police pull you over and do a civil asset forfeiture.

[@jorgeposadas1192]

Ain't that the truth!!! Hahahahahahahaha

[@princessmarlena1359]

Bury the valuables in the wilderness, keep a secret map to them.

[@acrinsd]

I used to work with a company that moved safe deposit boxes when a branch moved or closed. They showed me how to open safe deposit boxes with a small hammer, striking in the correct location. There was no damage to the door, so you would never know that the box was open. The only thing that makes them secure is that they are in the vault, not the boxes themselves.

[@blankmission5369]

So doesn't that damage the two locks on the door? Jw cause I have a SD box and now I am worried that someone could go in it, take stuff, and I wouldn't know about it? Is this true?

[@hatersaywhat8986]

As an electrician, our company was tasked to demo a bank in Seattle that closed in 09 in order to prep for resale. This bank sat boarded up until we got the ok to start (2016). The super consulted a bank buster to open the vaults in exchange for keeping the vault doors and in all its glory was wall to wall mini doors untouched, no keys. About a week later and one by one these mini doors opened and to all of our suprise was filled with coins, gold, silver exc. After a few workers fired after getting caught returning and opening some of them it was decided to collect all the valuables and placed in the property real estate hands to sell.

[@Alexagrigorieff]

In Pirates Of The Caribbean: "I'm not only astronomer, I'm also a horologist" "So was my mum, but she didn't crow about it as loud as you."

[@jacqueslefave4296]

It's named after Horus, the Egyptian Sun god and by extension, the god of time. It is also the source of the word, "hour". No, it is not "whoreology", you perverts.😛

[@andygrew4832]

I really enjoy your videos. Since law applies to all of us the content is always relevant and interesting. Thank you.

[@wilsonedwards8189]

I had a bank employee take a $2000 cash deposit in Missouri. The bank blamed me until I produced the deposit receipt!...neither the thief or the bank thought I kept the receipt. Of course they simply returned the cash and said nothing about what happened.

[@Doc50cal]

My parents had one in Houston when it flooded after hurricane Alicia. Destroyed everything in it and mold was everywhere.

[@jacqueslefave4296]

Back when Greece was going through a financial/banking/debt crisis, the Greek government authorities allowed depositors of bank accounts to withdraw up to about $300 a day ( the amount is approximate because it was Euros). They held off access to safe deposit boxes, and went through them, somehow they had both keys, and they went through the boxes, removing the cash, and leaving IOU's in its place, using the same cash to pay depositors. Could it happen here? Never, they say, which is the same thing that the Greek banks said before they did it.😱

[@JoseGonzalez-pv5ox]

Wow! Go figure

[@chrisreed26]

I can secure my own items much better than any bank can. I can hide a safe in my home soo well that it would never be found unless ground penetration devices were used and this is not something that is hard to build by the average person. Why would I ever place anything of value in a place where I have to be granted permission to get to it and only during certain hours? Then you have to sign away any responsibility from the bank so they have the ability to drill out the lock even by mistake and get away with it. It’s a wonder anyone with half a brain would put a dime in a safety deposit box! It’s more secure in a water proof pvc glued cap ends tube buried in the back yard under a concrete bird bath! Great story.

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

I also had a problem with my Wells Fargo safe deposit box. They closed the branch that my box was in and never sent me notice. All of a sudden one month my safe deposit box disappeared from my statement. I went to the bank and saw that it was closed. Went to the closest branch to the closed one and they told me what happened. Took 2 weeks to get my stuff sent back to the other Wells Fargo branch. When I got my stuff back, it was all there except for the 5, $100 bills I had in there in case of emergency. So basically it cost me $500 and several hours of my time to learn that you can't trust Wells Fargo.

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

From personal experience, I agree that Wells Fargo is a crooked organization, if not an outright criminal enterprise. I'll never do business with them again, if I can help it.

[@progressiveguy9959]

@@Milosz_Ostrow The way they operate,it seems to fit a criminal enterprise.

[@donwald3436]

Thanks Affirmative action!

[@progressiveguy9959]

@@donwald3436 LMAO, Another snowflake Trumpeteer heard from

[@TAPriceCTR]

@@donwald3436 my very first vote ever was to roll back affirmative action in my state but what the hell are you blaming it for here?

[@doughill5487]

Two things: 1. Thank you for not calling them "safety" deposit boxes. Drives me nuts. 2. They're called "safe" deposit boxes because they are literally deposit boxes in a safe, not because they are safe.

[@libertarian1637]

Safe Deposit Box security varies dramatically from bank to bank. As a Probation Officer the court ordered terms of probation we enforce enable warrantless searches and in our area it’s odd that some banks allow Probation access without a warrant or search order, so long as the person has a probation sentence while others required a specific search warrant or search order naming the box and it’s contents. I had a box for years and due, in part to security, I switched to a personal safe, an actual UL rated safe not a box store safe (residential security container). Read the terms and know what to expect before just trusting blindly.

[@KentucKY-427]

I've been told by my bank is that you are not supposed to put cash in the safety deposit boxes, and if a bank employee overhears you saying you put cash in your box they send one of those notes to the IRS just like when you do a transaction over $10,000.

[@katiekane5247]

When a bank calls something "safe", you gotta wonder. They're the folk that advertise "free" checking that they will happily allow you to overdraw, resulting in fees many times the cost of paying to keep your money there. If not for being required to have an account for direct deposit, I wouldn't deal with ANY banks. You literally pay them to use your money.

[@SimonTekConley]

If the shoe was on the other foot, would the bank be just accepting if say they accidentally gave away 10 million to a customer, and the customer said no on giving it back?

[@patricksquires77]

Anyone else think that somewhere in the chains of custody that the ‘mistaken’ confusion of non-payment to this guys safe deposit was setup as part of the overall theft of the contents of the safe. Furthermore no one thought hey this guy is arrears several thousand in non-payment for the safe deposit but look at this stuff that appears to have significant value when inventoried. Mistake - oops we are creating inventory of now unsecured assets by but hey lets not double check what is the actual letter on the law here regarding actuary signing and sealing the envelope. ‘Mistakes’ happened here. Thanks for sharing this story - I am a new fan - I have just spent the last several hours watching various videos of yours.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

Just dumb bank employees. Banks don’t want to spend money to hire smart people at their branches.

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

I am amazed, astounded, and totally bowled over by the fact that the banks haven't created an insurance program for safe deposit boxes and started upselling people to get them to purchase insurance policies covering the contents for their full value. Especially given how many companies want me to buy policies to insure my electric lines, water lines, sewage lines, gas lines, and any other 20 foot segment of connecting tissue that goes from the street into my house it seemed to me that everybody was always on the hunt for a new place to start offering insurance. Given all the special treatment insurance companies enjoy since being declared to be "not commerce" and therefore exempt from almost all regulation by Congress, insurance is a very alluring business model.

[@tashkiira7838]

The problem with banks offering that sort of insurance is that banks screw up so bloody often with the boxes that they're trying to shed the whole concept, which is a relic of the old system, pre-fractional-reserve-fiat-value. Add to that the fact that people don't want to disclose what's IN the boxes and suddenly you have a very real problem.

[@gblargg]

They can make more money pilfering safe deposit box contents.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

It’s not worth it, there aren’t enough safe deposit boxes and if there were they’d have to hire more dumb $15/hour tellers. They make way more money loaning your money out and paying you 0.00001% interest. Safe deposit boxes are just designed to increase the friction of switching banks.

[@bobkelley8291]

Thank you Steve! I had no idea safety deposit box's were that unsafe. My extra stress is your fault LOL. I think our country including the banks are in for a big change. It would be interesting for my wife and I talk to you for a few relaxing hours some time just for a friendly conversation. I wish I had a brother or brother in law like you. To me you seem to have a realistic way of thinking. And you being on you tube I would think has helped a lot of people. Have a great summer.

[@SKELLZ_]

Wells Fargo made a huge mistake?! Imagine that.

[@RoverT65536]

There is still theft and police should investigate. I would be selling one of the other watches to pay someone to find out what happened. Surely they know the employees involved. If an insurance company was handling this I imagine they would put a bit more effort into finding out who did it.

[@Booboobear-eo4es]

When Greece had its financial crisis and the banks were short on cash, they broke open the customer's safe deposit boxes and raided all the cash. They then replaced the cash with IOUs. Never heard if the banks made good on the IOUs.

[@jamessimms415]

Moved my account from a ‘locally owned bank’ (in name only as it was part of a larger corporation) to a true ‘locally owned bank’. A little inconvenience as there’s only one branch on my side of the river, but I trust them more than the former bank that had numerous branches.

[@ChrisD4335]

little guys are incompetent and or corrupt too bro

[@Rickinsf]

If I remember, Spaggieri, an ex-paratrooper, escaped by jumping from a second-story courtroom window during a hearing. He then climbed onto the back of a waiting motorcycle whose driver made the getaway. It was straight out of the movies.

[@craigerlist]

Why is it that anytime you hear about a Bank problem it is always Wells Fargo or Bank of America.? I used to use Wells Fargo as my bank and had a Checking Account (and savings account) with them. Everything was going good for a few years until one day they sent me a letter telling me that a check of mine bounced and that they withdrew the funds to cover the check from my savings account. That scared the hell out me !! I instantly logged onto my account and checked my balances. My money in my checking account was still there (whew) But there was a -$35.00 fee listed for "Check Return". I figured 'oh well they messed up since I had plenty of money in my account to cover the check' . To make a long story short , Wells Fargo fought me on this issue and I said enough is enough so I withdrew all my moneys and put it into a Credit Union bank and have no problems ever since (this was 20 years ago). So yeah.

[@TheLepke2011]

I wonder if the employees of that storage facility saw those nice, expensive watches in their vault, took off their own crap watches and swapped them out for a super sweet time piece and that's where those items the safe-deposit box guy didn't recognize came from.

[@nate_d376]

Great, now where am I supposed to store my alternative identity stuff, backup pistol, and wads of cash from different countries?

[@copcuffs9973]

Storage unit?

[@nate_d376]

@@copcuffs9973 I'll have to get a long lost 4th cousin to rent one for me.....

[@CadrachMor]

I recall my grandmother telling me that Roosevelt went through the safe deposit boxes in 1933 and took all the privately held gold, and that's likely is what is in, or at least started Fort Knox. The Feds, of course, reimbursed in paper money which was tanking at the time.

[@kenwin2107]

I am not sure, but I believe that story is a hoax. Such a thing if it is true, walks all over the Bill of Rights.

[@tsamplifiers6493]

@@kenwin2107 Ken the story is true. The tactics were made legal by unchallenged legislation. Those holding gold including govt. issued $10 and $20 Gold Eagles and other coins were subject to horrendous penalties including huge fines and lengthy sentences for failing to turn in gold. The large network of "trade" tunnels under the east side of Providence, RI was forcibly sealed off in people's basements by the treasury. They were originally privately dug so that merchants and goods could get up the steep hills from the docks during slippery winters. They were used to hide gold by connected bank officials and move it around to evade treasury "inspectors" going door to door.

[@cvcoco]

@An Cadrach Mor Much was hidden and i doubt in boxes. Google the story about the fellow who came across pre-1933 gold coins after his grandfather died. He went to find out what they were worth and, long story short, IRS seized them as illegal Depression gold and he lost them all. It was a huge amount.

[@CadrachMor]

I do recall a similar story about some coins being stolen from the mint: they were to be destroyed, yet were rescued and hidden away, which meant they were still Govt. property when they surface, and were therefore reclaimed.

[@stevemurdock6819]

There was a BOA flooded in Hou TX during Allison the boxes were submerged for at least a week

[@joshnabours9102]

Ooh a book report. I would watch that.

[@Rebecca-zr2zx]

Steve, Thanks for the great book recommendation: Fric-Frac. It would make a great movie. You always come up with unusually and USEFUL stories I uses in everyday life. In my twenties I had over $40k in a safe deposit box at the bank... scary to think this was such a vulnerable and stupid decision of mine!

[@dabuya]

C’mon with the comments, people! “Drilled the lock” is certainly understood as a colloquial phrase; and, the point of this video was not to explain the limits of the FDIC, but to explain that it does not cover the contents of safe deposit boxes. Understandably, unless one wishes to disclose the contents of said boxes, how could any be insured? Interesting story on the watch collector’s situation.

[@Thinksterboomster]

The number 1 problem with safe deposit boxes is avoidable... Folks put their treasure into them, sometimes a lifetime worth of treasure....then they pass away or become ill and forget about the safe deposit box...The bank purges these accounts periodically...It takes about 2 seconds to open the box without a key...The bank auditors catalog the contents in the most general of terms possible (pearls are white beads, gold is gold colored)...The bank and the state divide the treasure and move on to the next...

[@carlT1986]

Thinksterboomster there are no legal protections for “safe deposit boxes”. Bank makes mistake and loses, gives away or rents your box to someone else who takes all your stuff... tuff toenails. You have no recourse.

[@Thinksterboomster]

@@carlT1986 No FDIC for you...Thanks...

[@Thinksterboomster]

@@emgriffiths1861 Thanks...I appreciate the info...

[@duanejackson6718]

you would think the guy would have insurance on it and the insurance company would be suing the bank.

[@MeFreeBee]

Some people use safe deposit boxes as an alternative to insurance precisely because the insurance is too expensive.

[@margaretswartz3348]

What about police forfeiture like you have reported on? Do they go to your safe deposit box too?

[@sandyelliott3350]

The banks can actually take your property that's in a safe deposit box if the bank is in financial trouble. Thanks to Dodd-Frank.

[@josephteller9715]

I presume you are referring to: gsiexchange.com/how-dodd-frank-made-it-legal-for-banks-to-confiscate-funds-during-a-banking-crisis/ I am not sure that this is true. Perhaps Steve Lehto could dig up some info. All references I see online to it appear to be on sites about selling you gold as a hedge against them grabbing your safe deposit contents and Bank Accounts, but I'm not finding any legitimate legal references, quotes from the Dodd-Frank law that can be looked at or legitimate press info on it.

[@13Photodog]

I just checked Amazon Fric Frac is available for 64.33! Hope you got your used copy cheaper.

[@RedRepair]

Very familiar of the watch he lost ( no don’t have one ) that could easily be worth more than the complete settlement loss. That watch will never be listed in a auction. While going into my box ten years ago ( no nothing of real value ) noticed a complete wall of boxes opened . No guard, no cameras, and no one inside the room but me . I called out to inform them - I got a “oh sh-t” response followed by having my box and myself searched . Did’t hear anything in the town paper or news .

[@CM-kl9qh]

I asked a bank manager about what I could and couldn't put in a safety deposit box and she said that she didn't know but if she learned it was cash she was required to report it to the Federal authorities. I asked if she has a list of what I couldn't put in there she said "and no ammunition". When pressed she tried to find a list she came up empty. Weird!

[@kimlground206]

LOL. Wells Fargo . . Whole story right there.

[@Vipre-]

The disappointment you feel when you finally start your horology class and they bring out watches.

[@C.CurrySims]

LMFAO

[@davidbenner2289]

The bank can confiscate it. I find it best to store fresh fish in the box. I'm time it is no longer fresh. If the bank stops complaining about the smell, you know someone has robbed it. Security: I worked for an interesting "company" in Europe during the Cold War. I was told by our security "experts" our headquarters was secure and no one could get in without them knowing. So, I broke in, . . . twice. I used a simple screwdriver the first time. I used nothing the second time. I've determined "security" really means "arrogance".

[@davidbenner2289]

@@selinesbeau ?

[@davidbenner2289]

@@selinesbeau I have in my pants pocket a Böker multi-tool, an Old Timer six bladed whittling pocket knife, a Swiss Army Knife "Classic", a butane lighter, normally a flashlight but it's broken right now (after about 18 to 20 years old), and when the bugs come out, I will include an old MRE Tabasco mini bottle full of Deet. Also two cotton handkerchiefs in my back pocket. Don't need the old P-38 can opener since the Böker has one. I basically have carried unusual tools throughout my life, kept in my pocket. In the fire department I always, ALWAYS carried an extra ring cutter blade, oxygen cylinder deals, various small tools to break glass, cut wood (branches), a metal saw, two pair of parsmedic shears, and so on. And a heavy folding knife with a saw. We were actually looking for the DC Snipers all night long, armed with our knives: later finding out is was not a white van and it was two if them! (One woman murdered less than a mile from my station). Also, I used to carry a compass and radiation detector, a special pocket sized thermal temperature sensor and book on everything that could be measured or chemically combined. And a magnifying glass. In my gear on the unit I carried other special tools, extra gloves, three MREs per person and lots of bottled water in case we were on an extended call and we're cut off. I also had lock picking tools on my unit: there is only so much I could carry! I was known for scaling buildings with my finger tips gripping between the bricks, gaining access through windows and doors, sneaking up on armed people, some patients, some assailants, and disarming them. Never had to strike anyone. Oh, in my turn out gear for fired I always carry an extra fire good, extra fire gloves, an extra set of spanner wrenches, some odd tools, and do on. Some from reactive situations and some proactive. As I told my boys going off to war, always carry extra water and extra ammunition. Dear old dad carried odd stuff as well. We all used what we carried. In the woods and jungle if South East Asia I carried old steel canteens and canteen cups instead of the newer issued ones. I would fill each canteen half full of water, fill each cup and boil the water to purify it. This way I would not to drink so much of the iodized water. I didn't like the taste. I still carry steel cups in my camping gear. I carry a hatchet or 3/4 axe, a trowel or small shovel, a folding saw and boloknife or machete and a prying tool in my pack. Rope, a blanket, shelter half or poncho I can use to improvise a stretcher with. Once or twice in a blue moon I use the stuff.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Haha! Nice! I’d probably prepay and leave a turd in the safe deposit box.

[@MrTruckerf]

So what happened to the guy's watches? It's time we found out.

[@BlankBrain]

It would be interesting to find out where they wound up.

[@stuartd9741]

Only time will tell....

[@kenabi]

The suspense is giving me a nervous tic.

[@bradleybarker9633]

Will be an interesting story to watch.

[@ItsNotMeItsYou007]

His collection was well known you said. This was a heist with insider information and help. Claim they opened the wrong box, steal the watches and then play dumb. Safety deposit boxes are probably safe, unless you put anything valuable to someone else in there. lol

[@josephteller9715]

There is a huge probability that you're right Tim. Someone knew, and probably have done this before. 1 Guy in the bank, 1 guy at the storage facility the contents went to who knew what to grab.

[@realiouslytv1711]

That's what I was thinking. The great watch Heist

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

If it was a heist they would have taken all the watches. It’s just dumb, mostly unnecessary, underpaid bank tellers making mistakes. The banks have a monopoly and they won’t make any meaningful extra money by improving their safe deposit box service. They could easily design a system with fail safes in place to ensure the contents of a safe deposit box does not end up in the wrong hands, but they’d rather just rely on the useless staff they already have.

[@copcuffs9973]

My bank just told me that I have a month left to empty my safety deposit box... In 2021 they are no longer renting boxes; not enough profit in it?

[@C.CurrySims]

This is a season 5 video. Are there any updates on watch guy?

[@blindbunyon7540]

Yer mom

[@1erinjames]

I did not know this. Thank you!!

[@garylewis4838]

I would be suing for the removal of the banks license to do business in the US.

[@josephjakubec3171]

Gary Lewis. You must be a rich and patient man.

[@chriscontact5857]

The ATF has stated they are usable storage for NFA items.

[@saulorivera9598]

Hi Steve, I have been watching your you tube episodes and I like them very much. I applaud you for giving legal advice to those who don't have access to it. I recently had an incident and I would like to know what your thoughts are about it and do you believe I would have won a court battle. This incident occurred before I knew of you and I wonder if your advice could have helped. First of all, I am a CDL licensed driver and the incident occurred with a commercial motor vehicle. Before I start my day to drive 500+ miles, I perform a pre-trip inspection of the entire tractor and trailer. This takes me about 20 - 25 minutes and I log it into my AOBRD device in the truck. The inspection I perform is a detailed one for I know my safety and the safety of other people on the highway can be be compromised. In reference to tires I check for proper inflation, tread depth, sidewall damage, even and excessive wear. As I have mentioned earlier, I log this action in the AOBRD device in the truck. The incident that occurred, took place at 4 AM on a three lane interstate hwy with a speed limit of 70 MPH in Waxahachie TX. I was traveling in the center lane at speed of 60MPH. There was a compact car traveling in the far right lane and was about 3 car lengths behind me. At that moment, my right front drive axle tire blew out and the tread peeled of the sidewalls of the rest of the tire and was ejected out from the truck. The tread rolled into the far right lane and was hit by the compact car at about 65MPH. Thankfully nobody was injured in any way, but the car did have some front facia damage. We called police to make a report for insurance purposes. The problem I have is not that my insurance is paying the damage to the car. The problem is the police officer wrote me a ticket for driving an unsafe vehicle. Because I am a CDL holder, this is not something you want on your MVR. I always knew that arguing with the officer is futile and so I did not comment to him on it. When I appeared in the pretrial I explained the incident to the procsecuter and she said the violation will still stand. I asked how does the officer know what the condition of that tire was when he never saw it before it blew out. She said and this is a direct quote from he"our officer felt that you were in violation and that you were driving an unsafe vehicle." At that point I was furious and asked how can what an officer felt or their opinion be enough to accuse someone of this. She did not answer and informed me the fine would be 300. I simply told I will pay your damn ticket only because I am not going to loose money by have to take days off of driving to deal with this garbage. Again, this is already behind me, but future reference I would like to know your thoughts. Also, had I taken this to a jury trail what do you believe my percentage of being the victor would have been. Last thing, do you believe a trial by jury or trial by judge would be better. Again, thanks for you input. Hopefully this is a good topic for you to make a video on. Keep them coming. SRivera Best Regards.

[@Sfdoggydaddy]

Yep I’ve got a secured insured safe at home, encased in concrete for exactly this reason.

[@johnstack5008]

Then the crook shows up at your home with a gun and gets you to open the safe.

[@Sfdoggydaddy]

@@johnstack5008 crooks aren't the only ones with guns. You do know there are more guns than there are people in this country right?

[@zapazap]

@@Sfdoggydaddy It is only crooks with guns that you have to worry about.

[@evenbiggeral5089]

Is the best choice to separate out all the valuables into individual boxes? The other options are not good choices, right I.e. keep them in a safe at home or in the business.

[@evenbiggeral5089]

Guns and dogs...good suggestions!!

[@larrybe2900]

@@jupitercyclops6521 'Fire proof' is relative to many things.

[@evenbiggeral5089]

How about hiding them in plain sight...true story about a man who painted his $1M worth of gold bars black and used them as door stops.

[@evenbiggeral5089]

That’s exactly what happened. The guy died without telling anyone When his family was dumping everything out of the house someone noticed the scrape on the black bar was showing gold and that’s how they found it. Happened here in San Jose this year and the gold dealer told me the story.

[@larrybe2900]

This seems like an intentional mistake. Getting the 5 unknown watches back says a lot.

[@larrybe2900]

Steve, are the many storage facilities any different than a bank safety deposit box?

[@j0hnnykn0xv1lle]

the bank owes him the value of the missing watches plus legal fees - Done.

[@czependoza]

Keep dreaming

[@aquatrax123]

Is it better to keep items in your home safe? That way it's covered under the homeowner insurance policy?

[@stevelehto]

Make sure it's covered. Valuables often need a special rider. And they won't cover cash.

[@marpsr]

Insurance companies usually don’t cover gold & silver.

[@robertthomas5906]

Get a real safe. A lot of safes aren't meant to keep someone out other than honest people and the owner that forgot the combination. They're for fire. Make sure it's bolted down. So many people don't bolt it down so a thief simply hauls it away and attacks it later. Something really valuable? Don't put it in your bedroom. Put it in the kids bedroom closet. Thieves normally blow right by those rooms. Sometimes safe companies have safes they want to get rid of. Shop around, there are deals out there. Decide first what you want to put into one. Always decide the mission first. A package of paper worth of stuff (500 sheets)? Briefcase? Paper and guns? Figure the size and go from there. Consider the weight as well.

[@frotoe9289]

I've only seen one home safe that I thought was safe (watch some videos on safe cracking... anything you get for less than $1000 is a toy). The one I saw that I was really jealous of was an heirloom that the guy had inherited. It was pretty much like what you see in old west movies in a bank. Perhaps the lock mechanism could be cracked, but the basic construction was impressive. As well, maybe 10 years ago a group of burglars broke into a professional poker players house in Vegas after they found out he'd be out of town (playing in a distant tournament) for a couple weeks. They took their sweet time, and basically lived in the house 24x7 for those two weeks. They chiseled the wall safe out of the wall. They drove his cars. They ordered new credit cards sent to his address and had time to pick them up. It was bad. Can't find a reference, story is old and "Hoyt Corkins burglary" gets a lot of hits. But even the very bestest of safes will fall to a burglar if they have enough time.

[@larsharris]

The two banks I use. The safety deposit box is free. The credit union also offered. But I don’t need 3. It’s mostly deeds, old interesting papers. A cousin had a family valuable broach. Put in safe deposit box. And when he cleared box it was gone. Bank employee checked... insurance paid.. decade later he got a call from bank. “We found your broach we think”. Iirc box rented, person who rented was cleaning it out, felt weight. Digs in back and a black felt bag was jammed in back. With the Broach. . Yep it was his. Contacted insurance company, paid them back $$$ as it was worth a heck of a lot more. (So it was his fault, not really the bank)

[@prieten49]

My family had a safe deposit box. I remember going with my dad to the bank and watching while he added things or took things out. He had a coin collection and some important documents there. He must have gone several times a year. I think that is a good idea. I don't think one should ever just assume something will always be there. Check up on it every now and then.

[@frankperkin124]

So if you win the lotto, don't put the ticket in a safe deposit box.

[@merc514]

Demonstrates why pvt "Vault" cos are beginning to appear...first saw one in downtown Bellevue WA, a prosperous suburb of Seattle...don't know what its guarantee is but chances are it beats any bank. It also has vaults big enough to hold framed paintings, valuable guns, etc.

[@markgoggin2014]

Horology is the study of watches. Pimpology is the other one.

[@nunyabisnass1141]

The problem seems to me is there is no incentuve to secure them. So contents arent inventoried prior, and no insurance offered. However i don't feel thwt any specific protection needs to be provided in order to find the bank at fault. Id say the lease agreement it self serves as a contract stating the lease holder is responsible for the security.

[@WhereWhatHuh]

Although not insured as a deposit, doesn't the fact of accepting the deposit box constitute a bailment? And in either case, wouldn't there be a cause of action?

[@anthonynorton666]

Horology partly from Greek word hora meaning time, like horoscope.

[@allmopars]

Steve, can you do one on the trending use of online background/credit checks without having the person ever notified or knowing it happened to them. Increasing popular for co-workers and neighbors. Cost like $10 online.

[@ChrisD4335]

seems like its worth investing in a secret safe in your house

[@hymanocohann2698]

Is there no contract?

[@james4582]

Home safes are not all that safe the kind you buy at Home Depot or Lowe’s places such as that Safes have ratings such by hours for fire and also to show how long a knowing person can access the safe a one hour rating is the time it takes to open the safe for example

[@ludditeneaderthal]

Ummmm, no. "Safes" for home use with a "fire rating" are rated for how long it would take "standard paper" to char to the point of being illegible in a "standard house or office fire". The ONLY "security" they claim is "your junk will be better protected from fire compared to being in a kitchen cabinet". Resistance to burglary is the bailiwick of VAULTS, which have an acronym based rating system of resistance to forced entry: TL rated resist "tool attacks", TRTL resist "torch and tool attacks", and TXTL resist "tool, torch, and explosives attacks". The acronym is followed by a duration number representing minutes, so a TL30 rated box is supposed to resist 30 minutes of "rating duty cycle attack" by prying, peeling, drilling, hammering, etc. NOT 30 minutes of constant attack, but a cycle of attack followed by a break, repeat till duration expires. One must also note the OWNER will most likely NOT be able to open the box that "successfully resisted" without forcing it open.

[@dynorat12]

but would that be theft if they drilled the wrong box does not mater theft is theft right

[@herrickmostyn7034]

bank where I used to have a box (Chase) stated specifically in the agreement - NO cash, NO precious metals

[@Torsin2000]

Employees of the bank took the watches.

[@frotoe9289]

Back in 2012 (and again a couple years later) a well-known local anonymous safe deposit box place got robbed. Pretty spectacular failure. They don't require any id whatsoever. You just show up and they do an iris scan or hand scan or fingerprint scan or whatever they do, you enter a password, and poof... you are let in and you go open your box with your key. Long as you pay your bill, all is well (in theory). The place advertised its absolute, incredible, Fort Knox-like security. Only they failed to factor in what happens when an employee is ambushed when leaving (or perhaps is working with them). The bad guys get in and have all day long to force their way into the boxes. A lot of people were a lot unhappy. And obviously the people using an anonymous vault are not the type to file insurance claims or police reports. news3lv.com/news/local/metro-police-continue-cold-case-robbery-investigation-now-looking-for-new-information. Kinda interesting to learn that the situation at "real" banks is no better.

[@okmrocksU]

Upon hearing this, the old hillbilly who is setting on his front porch, while whittling on a stick says, "Yep, that's why I keeps all my money hidden in my mattress!"

[@stupidburp]

Sounds like some employees swapped watches to try to make the paperwork match. If they thought it was abandoned they may have expected the contents to go up for auction and hope no one would notice the switch if the records were vague enough. If I was the watch guy I would report it to the FBI as a bank related theft.

[@danpatterson8009]

My bank told me that safe-deposit box rentals were declining overall, and if a lock on one of their boxes breaks or has to be drilled, they no longer put money into fixing it. New banks are being built without any safe-deposit boxes, so if you want one you might have to call around. I no longer "bank" at the bank where my box is, I just rent the box. I wonder how much longer that service will be available!

[@jamesdietz29]

You should probably go "visit" your box no less than once a month.

[@danpatterson8009]

Or maybe the box is the decoy and...

[@Big_Old_Dog]

The interesting thing is, the person who took those watches knew which watches to take. Maybe they researched them and cherry picked the really valuable ones? However, rare watches like that would be very hard to sell easily and I am sure he'd know immediately it was his through distinguishing marks, etc, I am these things are like fine art pieces... curious case..

[@interstellarsurfer]

You can pawn off the Mona Lisa, but you're definitely not getting face value...

[@michaelwhittaker5624]

I wonder why it's so difficult to track down the person who absconded with the timepieces. Wouldn’t a bit of forensic accounting lead police to the person who did it?Surely the bank has some basic information on the person who rented the sdb. Isn’t it interesting how a bank will keep meticulous records on people who owe them money and are damn good at locating said people and making them pay even as they try to hide. I have no doubt that with the proper application of the banks resources the missing watches wouldn’t be for very long, but of course none of that matters when it’s the bank that owes you money.

[@gkeyman565]

Did you ever do th book report?

[@GuroDon]

I insured my Safe Deposit Box with State Farm but after a month they cancelled my Policy. Reason? State Farm determined my Coin Collection was Gold and Silver Bullion. They told me my Insurance Coverage expired 27 MAR 2020. I insured my Safe Deposit Box today 24 MAR 2020 with the only company I could find "Safe Deposit Box Insurance Company" for half of what State Farm was charging me but was yearly not monthly. With State Farm I had to send them pictures of all my Coins, their value and pictues of anything else of value I had in my box. I live an small but not Apartment with my wife. I have renters insurance, too for household goods, Computers, Weapons.

[@kenabi]

you'd be better off buying a good quality floor safe and sinking it into the floor or wall of a basement and putting stuff in front of or on top of it and just never talking about it.

[@MrTruckerf]

The most life-saving words ever: 'NEVER TALKING ABOUT IT!'

[@stuartd9741]

Then you forget about it and move house?