When Hurricane Ian roared ashore in Florida two years ago, its winds and waters not only swept some homes but the safes inside them where some homeowners had kept valuables. They could never be found.
“I’ve always had a safe deposit box and would not live in Florida without one,” said Isabel Diaz-Gelabert, who has banked with Regions and its predecessor banks for 45 years in Miami and now North Port, Florida.
“My safe deposit box has always been extremely valuable to me,” she said. “I always keep things like the deed to my house in my box – documents that I do not want to be destroyed. But when I know a hurricane is coming, I will put other things in there like copies of insurance policies for increased convenience after the storm.”
Located within a bank vault, Regions safe deposit boxes can provide a convenient and secure location to safeguard essential documents, jewelry and other treasures and even back-up copies of digital media.
More than 1,160 Regions branches in 15 states offer the boxes for storage, ranging in size from 5×5 to 15×20 inches. Regions checking or savings account customers can get a discount of 30% to 50% of the rental cost depending on the account type.*
With the season for hurricanes, tornado and other severe weather – and summer travel here – consider these possible safe deposit uses.
-
- You rent your home to vacationers and don’t want to leave certain documents and valuables there while you’re away.
- A storm is approaching and you want to securely store copies of important documents in another location.
- Your neighborhood has had a rash of break-ins and you think your items would be safer at a bank than in a home safe.
- You have moved to a new city and want a secure place to keep valuables or essential records until you have a permanent residence.
- You’re on a temporary work assignment lasting more than a few months and don’t want to leave key items at home that long.
- Concerned about ransomware and other cyberattacks, you want a secure place to store flash drives with backup copies of photos, documents and other digital records.
Learn more about Regions safe deposit boxes on Regions.com, and contact the Regions branch nearest to you for more information about availability, sizes and prices.
Safe deposit boxes can be a good storage option to consider and are among the many ways we’re helping customers build financial confidence and bring peace of mind.
Steve Nivet, Consumer Banking regional executive for Regions Bank
Safe deposit box contents are not FDIC insured so you must get your own insurance – similar to the private insurance storage facilities require. See the FDIC’s article, “Five things to Know about Safe Deposit Boxes, Home Safes and Your Valuables,” for more information.
Passports and other documents you need to access immediately shouldn’t be stored in safe deposit boxes since they are only available during bank hours.
Depending on the location, access to the boxes in the vault is either controlled using biometrics or the use of two keys (the customer’s and the bank’s) and the help of a branch associate. If you don’t have your key, you won’t be able to access your box.
The first known safe dates back to the 13th century B.C. – a wooden box with a lock found in tomb of Ramesses II. In the Middle Ages, people kept valuables locked away in locked boxes with “safekeepers” in their homes. But sometimes they couldn’t be trusted. The first safe deposit boxes in banks opened in the mid-1800s.
“While they are not for everyone and every situation, safe deposit boxes can be a good storage option to consider and are among the many ways we’re helping customers build financial confidence and bring peace of mind,” said Steve Nivet, Consumer Banking regional executive for Regions Bank. “Let Regions be your vault if you need one.”
*Subject to availability. Not available in all branches. The information presented, may be changed without notice, is not an offer or contract and does not amend any applicable customer agreement, the terms of which govern and control. Please refer to the pricing schedule or the applicable customer agreement or disclosure for additional details or pricing. All products/services are subject to terms and conditions and may be subject to qualification requirements, credit approval, fees, and change.