Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[marketmaven]

DHS to Restrict Access to Safety Deposit Boxes?

US Homeland Security Prepares Restricted Access To Safety Deposit Boxes
http://prudentinvestor.blogspot.com/
2006/01/mixed-bag-of-news-and-they-are-all.html

Internet forums like Democratic Underground carry plausible reports that the US Homeland Security is silently preparing to control access of citizen's safety deposit boxes at banks.
From one of these reports:

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. During these last two days, the workshop included members from the Homeland Security Office who 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.

It has to be noted that Diebold has introduced new access systems for cutomer's bank vaults that require electronic fingerprint identification. Diebold also supplies voting machines... So don't be surprised if your fingerprint will not work exactly at the moment you will need the contents of your safety deposit box most.