US Banks Lock Box Policy

Discussion in 'Freedom and Liberty' started by ChemicalGal, Mar 28, 2006.


  1. ChemicalGal

    ChemicalGal Monkey+++

    Not sure if any of you have seen or read this, but if not might be of interest to you.

    Sorry, I don't have a link to it as I received this is an email from a friend in Tazmania


    To Whom It May Concern:

    The following allegations are copied and pasted from page 5 of Sean
    David Morton's Delphi Associates Newsletter Issue # 115 dated March 10,
    2006:

    "Point #3: Bank Of America and Compass Bank managers (probably all
    other U.S. banks, too) have been instructing their employees in the last
    few weeks on how to respond to customer demands in the event of a
    collapse of the U.S. economy - specifically telling the employees that
    only agents from the Department Of Homeland Security will have authority
    to decide what belongings customers may have from their safe deposit
    boxes - and that precious metals and other valuables will not be
    released to U.S. citizens. The bank employees have been strictly
    prohibited from revealing the banks' new "guidelines" to anyone.
    (however, employees have been talking to friends and family.)
    THIS IS NOT A LEGEND! THIS IS NOT A RUMOR! THIS IS NOT AN URBAN MYTH!
    THIS IS NOT PATRIOT PARANOIA! THIS IS A COLD, HARD, SMELLY FACT, AND IT IS
    HAPPENING RIGHT NOW! THEY ARE SETTING ALL OF US UP!


    "The next time you visit your bank, ask them about it - then ask
    yourself, why is this information being kept secret from customers and
    the public - what's really going on?"
    Prior to the above quoted allegations made by Sean David Morton, the
    following similar allegations were made by Joel Skousen in the January
    27, 2006, issue of Joel Skousen's World Affairs Brief:

    "HOMELAND SECURITY WILL CONTROL SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES IN A CRISIS
    "A source at <http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=10012>
    filed the following report, which I have confirmed from other sources:
    "'A family member from Irvine, CA (who's a branch manager at Bank of
    America) told us two weeks ago that her bank held a workshop where the
    last two days were dedicated to discussing their bank's new security
    measures... [M]embers from the Homeland Security Office instructed them
    on how to field calls from customers and what they are to tell them in
    the event of a national disaster. She said they were told how only
    agents from Homeland Security (during such an event) would be in charge
    of opening safe deposit boxes and determining what items would be given
    to bank customers. At this point they were told that no weapons, cash,
    gold, or silver will be allowed to leave the bank -- only various
    paperwork will be given to its owners. After discussing the matter with
    them at length, she and the other employees were then told not to
    discuss the subject with anyone.
    "The family member has since given her notice to quit the bank. I found
    the news alarming and decided to find out more myself. On a trip to my
    bank here in Houston, I remarked to a young bank employee (who's new
    there), 'Well I guess you've been told all that stuff by the manager and
    the Homeland Security about what to tell your customers' - and to my
    amazement, the young woman came right out and said yes she'd been
    through all that, then whispered to me across the counter, 'but we're
    not supposed to talk about it - I could lose my job.'" Lesson to learn:
    don't depend on getting access to a safety deposit box. If you must use
    one, only keep documents in it -- no valuables. Obviously the feds plan
    on confiscating gold again!'"
    Sean David Morton and Joel Skousen come from totally different
    backgrounds, and yet they have made substantially the same
    allegations regarding this matter. I ignored Joel Skousen's initial
    warning. When Sean David Morton made essentially the same allegations
    about a month and a half later, I decided that I had better confront
    Bank of America regarding this matter, since I have a safe deposit box
    at a Bank of America Banking Center in Houston, Texas.
    Bank of America heavily promotes various forms of Online Banking, which
    includes a Customer Service web page format where bank customers are
    encouraged to post their specific questions. The following is what I
    posted on this web page on March 22, 2006:
    "To: Bank of America Customer Service

    "This is my 3rd and final attempt to get you to respond to the
    following allegations regarding bank safe deposit boxes that were
    published in Sean David Morton's Delphi Associates Newsletter Issue #
    115 dated March 10, 2006. If you continue to refuse to respond to my
    inquiries regarding these allegations, then I will be compelled to
    conclude that they are substantially true, and close out my Safe Deposit
    Box at Bank of America.

    "I sent you the following inquiry 3 days ago on Sunday, March 12,
    2006, and have not yet received any reply from you:

    "The following allegations are copied and pasted from page 5 of Sean
    David Morton's Delphi Associates Newsletter Issue # 115 dated March 10,
    2006:

    "'Bank Of America and Compass Bank managers (probably all other U.S.
    banks, too) have been instructing their employees in the last few weeks
    on how to respond to customer demands in the event of a collapse of the
    U.S. economy - specifically telling the employees that only agents from
    the Department Of Homeland Security will have authority to decide what
    belongings customers may have from their safe deposit boxes - and that
    precious metals and other valuables will not be released to U.S.
    citizens. The bank employees have been strictly prohibited from
    revealing the banks' new "guidelines" to anyone. (however, employees
    have been talking to friends and family.) ...

    "'The next time you visit your bank, ask them about it - then ask
    yourself, why is this information being kept secret from customers and
    the public - what's really going on?'

    "Are the above allegations true or false? If any of these allegations
    are true, please inform me which of these allegations are true."

    This web page states that "You can expect to receive a response to your
    message within 12 hours." If you read what I last posted on March 22,
    2006, you will note that on two previous occasions I posted my same
    initial questions.

    The response to date from Bank of America's Online Banking Customer
    Service Department has been total silence. It is obvious that they
    are stonewalling my questions, which I first propounded to them back on
    March 9, 2006.

    On March 25, 2006, I went to the Bank of America Banking Center in
    Houston, Texas, where my Safe Deposit Box is physically located. To
    digress a bit, my safe deposit box was originally at a different Bank of
    America Banking Center in Houston, Texas, which got flooded out back in
    June, 2001. All renters of safe deposit boxes at that location were
    compelled to find other safe deposit box facilities in the summer of
    2001. Not all Bank of America Banking Centers in Houston, Texas, have
    safe deposit box storage facilities, and those that do might not always
    have boxes available. The result was that my safe deposit box ended up
    at a rather distant Bank of America Banking Center where I have no
    reason to transact any other banking business.

    I began by asking the people at this Bank of America Banking Center for
    their response to the allegations made by Sean David Morton, a copy of
    which I provided to them. I ended up being referred to an Assistant
    Banking Center Manager, who emphatically denied these allegations.
    After going through this denial routine, I gave this Assistant Banking
    Center Manager a copy of my above March 22, 2006, questions that I
    propounded to Bank of America's Online Customer Service Department, and
    I asked her why they had refused to respond to my questions after I had
    posted them three times. This Assistant Banking Center Manager could
    not answer this question. I told this Assistant Banking Center
    Manager that I was surprised at her denial of the allegations made by
    Sean David Morton, and stated that I had expected to receive the same
    stonewalling treatment from her that I was previously given by Bank of
    America's Online Customer Service Department. I concluded this
    conversation by stating that I want specific answers to these questions,
    or else I will be compelled to close out my safe deposit box at this
    Bank of America Banking Center.

    Essentially I have reached an impasse regarding this matter. Can anyone
    shed any light on this matter? To be more specific, here are some of my
    thoughts and questions at this time:

    (1) If the above allegations made by Sean David Morton and Joel
    Skousen are true, then would this information have been disclosed to
    every Assistant Banking Center Manager at every Bank of America Banking
    Center in the United States that provides safe deposit box facilities?
    The Assistant Banking Center Manager that I talked with acted like this
    was the first time that she had ever heard these allegations. She made
    copies of Sean David Morton's allegations, along with my above March 22,
    2006, questions that I propounded to Bank of America's Online Customer
    Service Department, and told me that she would forward these items to
    her superiors.

    (2) One thing that has bothered me about these allegations is that if
    they are true, then why would U.S. Homeland Security allegedly inform
    staff employees at every Bank of America Banking Center in the United
    States with safe deposit box facilities of their future plans regarding
    safe deposit boxes in the United States? Could U.S. Homeland
    Security have done this at only selected Bank of America Banking Centers
    as part of a "trial balloon" in an effort to determine what gets leaked
    to the public?

    (3) Have any others besides Sean David Morton and Joel Skousen made
    similar allegations? If so, who else has made any allegations along
    this line, and what did they specifically allege? How widespread are
    these allegations?

    (4) If these allegations are totally false, then why did Bank of
    America's Online Banking Customer Service Department refuse to respond
    to my initial inquiries? I would have expected a blistering denial if
    these allegations are totally false.
    R. A. L.
    (Name Deleted for privacy purposes)
     
  2. B540glenn

    B540glenn Should Be Working Founding Member

    This is the first clue that it's an urban legen. This is also not the only variation of this floating around.

    Snopes currently has it as "Undetermined" but I wouldn't be surprised that it changes to "False" in the near future.

    Keep an eye on it though.
     
  3. TnAndy

    TnAndy Senior Member Founding Member

    What's the big deal ?

    I assume everyone knows that anything you write on the internet can be read by the powers that be.....

    I assume anything you have in a bank box can be taken rather easily by the powers that be....

    If you don't hold it, you don't own it.

    Same prudence applies as giving your wallet to your spendthrift brother-in-law or some corner junkie.......you can assume when you come back, your wallet will be empty.....so why would you do it in the first place ???
     
  4. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ive heard similar from a couple of sources including that they made it so they could search and confiscate things from safe deposit boxes with no warant and that it was supposed to carry criminal penalties for bank employees leaking it. It would not surprise me in the least if it was true, I mean is it realy that much of a leap from things that are well known and confirmed even by them that they are doing such as survailence and so on with no warants?
     
  5. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    It was on a National Talk radio show a month ago.

    Forget which one it was... Neal Boortz maybe?
    I wouldn't use one if it were free with cash back
     
  6. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I could see them as still being a decent idea for some things but not to store PMs and such, mainly for things like say keeping some papers and such in. Say like to keep a will in and maybe duplicates of IDs or birthcertificates and insurance papers and so on just in case of things like a tornado or fire or something. I know you can get lock boxes and safes that are fire resistant but most are only good for like 15 min or some similar amount of time and I know first hand they can be very dificult to find in the ruins of your house once it has burned (think of say a 3 story home that is all now charred rubbel in the basement) and even in a short time and if the stuff dosnt burn it can still be dammaged and the box or safe dont always open as easy. Then if say its a tornado the safe/lockbox may be miles away in a tree top. So basicly to have copies of important documents safely stored in more than one place just in case of a personal disaster they could still be very useful, just not advisable for anything of high intrensic value or in any way incriminating.
     
  7. Infidel

    Infidel Guest

    the main post has no verifiable info
     
  8. ChemicalGal

    ChemicalGal Monkey+++

    You are right, I apologize that there was none, but just wanted you to be aware of the possibilities of thinking stuff was safe in the lockboxes. It's not!

    CG
     
  9. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    FWIW, I just bought a one hour fire safe document box from Staples a month ago. Use it for birth certs, passports and the like. There are very few documents that cannot be duplicated or sourced from the originators in fairly short order these days. Hardware (pm, jewelry, etc) are best some place else, but I ain't going that route. Anyway, the place I'm in now would be gutted to the waterline in half an hour or less if it goes up at all, so the hour is fine.
     
  10. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Thats what we had when the house burned and it took a good bit to find even though we knew where it was before and while the papers were intact they were smoke damaged once we managed to get it open. We had to use crow bars and a BFH since the key didnt work anymore and wouldnt even go into the hole after it spent about 20-30 min is the fire that turned that room to ash and bits of charred wood. Glad we had it but still would have made things easier if we had also had copies of them at a bank or some such in something like a safe deposit box.
     
  11. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member

    Me either brother, I have my own safety deposit box.
     
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