Compare
A Bank Box vs. a Private Vault
Many clients arrive because their branch is closing or their bank is leaving the safe deposit business. Before you move, it is worth knowing what you actually had.
Tell us what, from where, and roughly when. No obligation, and no inventory list needed to start the conversation.
Side by side
| Category | Us | Leaving It in a Bank Box |
|---|---|---|
| Contents insurance | Available separately through Lloyd's of London | None. Box contents are not FDIC insured |
| Access hours | By appointment, including arranged out-of-hours | Branch hours only |
| Box sizes available | Eight sizes, up to 30×15×24 | Whatever that branch still has |
| Convenience of an existing account | A new arrangement to set up | Already there. The bank wins here |
| Cost | From $795 a year | Often cheaper, where still offered. The bank wins here |
| Branch closures | One facility, operating since 1983 | The reason most clients call us |
| Structure | 9R-rated vault, two 14,000-lb doors, above the flood plain | Varies enormously by branch and by decade |
| Response to legal process | Honoured. Same as a bank | Honoured |
Every row marked “wins here” is a real advantage of the alternative. A table that gives the other side nothing is not a comparison, and anyone reading carefully will notice.
The fair case
What leaving it in a bank box genuinely does better
A bank box is cheaper than almost any alternative and it is usually closer, often in a branch you already visit. The institution is familiar, which counts for something when explaining an arrangement to a family member or a court. For documents and modest valuables belonging to a living, competent, local owner, a box is a sound choice and we would not argue against it.
The limit
Where the gap is
This is not really the same product, and that is the honest framing. A box is storage; we are movement. Nothing about a bank box gets property from a house to the box, which is exactly the leg where losses happen. Beyond that, box contents are not FDIC insured, most banks disclaim liability for contents, a box in a sole name can be sealed at death, and under Florida's unclaimed property rules a dormant box can be drilled. Those are storage limitations worth knowing, but the reason people call us is the journey, not the shelf.
Our view
The honest verdict
If your branch is nearby, the box is the size you need, and the bank shows no sign of exiting the business, staying put is reasonable and cheaper. What people usually miss is that bank box contents have never been FDIC insured, and most homeowner policies cap off-premises jewelry coverage at a level well below what is in the box. That gap exists either way — it is worth closing wherever you keep it.
Other comparisons
Us vs. a National Armored Carrier
Brink's, Loomis and GardaWorld do something we do not do, and for some cargo they are the correct answer. Here is where the line falls.
Read more →
Insured Shipping vs. Hand Carriage
Carrier insurance is real, and for a lot of items it is perfectly adequate. The trouble starts with what the terms exclude, which almost nobody reads until they need to.
Read more →
Movers vs. Secure Transport
A good moving company will move your house better and cheaper than we ever could. The question is only what happens to the small number of items that cannot be replaced.
Read more →
Driving It Yourself vs. Using Us
You are allowed to put your own property in your own car and drive it. For plenty of clients that is the right answer, and we would rather say so than sell you something you do not need.
Read more →
Tell us what needs to move.
What, from where, and roughly when. You do not need an inventory to start the conversation, and if the job belongs with an armored carrier we will say so on the call.