I have safety deposit keys from my mom's estate. How can I find out which bank they go to?

Question

I have the numbers that are on the keys but don't have a clue as to what bank. My siblings and I are missing important documents and feel these keys might be the clue to settle mom's estate.

Answer 1

The police won't be able to help you and no you aren't going to need a death certificate to open a box. You might need a judgement showing proof of ownership from your mother's estate but a death certificate won't be sufficient to get them to release any information.

I agree to start with your mother's known banks otherwise you will need to physically contact every one of them.

Answer 2

Usually safety deposit keys don't have any clues as to where it belongs to. This is to prevent from misusing it. You are normally charged once a year for the use of the box unless the box comes free for being a customer. Either case I would start with going trough all the papers that are left by your mom and go to each bank that your mom had some kind of relationship with. Show them the death certificate and ask if there was an account. You may also want to take the key to a well established locksmith and ask what he thinks the key is for. I'm only saying this because I have seen two completely differently looking bank safety deposit box keys from different banks.

Answer 3

You should be able to find some indication of which bank or banks she did business with, like a check book, deposit slips, bank statements etc. I would certainly start there. When you get to the bank(s) with the keys they should be able to tell you if it is one of their boxes. You will probably need to carry a certified copy of the death certificate with you so they will let you open it.

Answer 4

Take the keys to your local police precinct - they should have ways to find out