Posted on 02/07/2014 12:33:10 PM PST by null and void
Since FReepers know everything...
Amongst my late father's effects we found a safe deposit box key. Little blue envelope, a box number hand written on the flap, nothing to identify which bank or branch.
Is there some way short of going to each of the thousands of banks in a hundred mile radius to determine where the box might be?
List it on Ebay.
when you get a bill to renew the box, you’ll know where to go.
You don’t have any banking records? That’s the first, most obvious thought. The second thought I had was in wondering if it was even paid up.
WOW. Interesting question. Did he have any bank accounts or bank CDs? That would be the best start, with any bank/s he used for other transactions.
Then go through his checks or checkbook to see if he had a renewal fee for the safety deposit box, paid in the past year. ?
Hopefully others will have better ideas. Good luck.
No old bank statements to be found laying around somewhere? The other thing you can do is see if he had any unclaimed funds sent into the state where he lived. If he had a safe box that he hadn’t used in a long time, and had an account there that was equally unused, the funds had to be sent into the state when there was no activity on that account.
Did you father have any Bank/Credit Union records in his effects. They may give you a clue?
We haven’t. It’s been years.
Yes, wait for the bill.
Look for his cancelled checks and then go there
I think you’re going to just have to go to banks one-by-one. Look around for some sort of bill from the bank charging for the safe deposit box. Usually mailed yearly.
We are not certain we know of all his accounts.
I would start with any banks he has had other dealings with.
Good idea. We’ll check.
How do you know it’s not a key to a bus station locker?
Another thought: guessing he had the box for .... ~30+ years, perhaps? Think about the area banks that have physically been around for that long. Of course, if he’d moved more recently, then that thought is moot.
He probably didn’t go far away from his house. Chances are good it is a bank he used. There are probably records of paying for it in his cancelled checks or credit card statements. I hope you find a million dollars or some wonderful treasure!
It may cost a few bucks but couldn’t a locksmith identify the key to at least narrow down the possible number of banks? I’ll defer to those here who know better about these things.
Take it to an old locksmith.
Amazing the stuff they know, makes, models, identifying marks, lot numbers...
One of those guys might be able to look at it, dig out a catalog and tell you that those were made for XXX bank and what years..
Be sure to take letters of executor for his estate with you to each bank for which you can find any receipts among his papers. When I did my father’s estate I had to contact banks in VA where he lived previous to retiring, to find all the trails for accounts. I still had a key that looked like a bus station locker key which I never did connect to a source.
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