Hello, I have a safe box key belongs to my father who has died. I didn't see him for a long time. After he passed away, his belongings were sent to me and in these belongings we (me and my sister) found this key. There is a number on it and writes Zurich. Me and my sister is the only inheritors. However we don't have any bank account information. We cannot find the bank book or any similar document. Is it possible to find the bank? Or where should we apply to find out if he had a bank account in Switzerland? Many thanks in advance for your help.

Maybe start with the executors of his will?

It sounds like you would be better off starting the search off where you are (USA?). A bank is highly unlikely to start giving information out about its clients based on a key and a number.

You would probably need to provide a death certificate and other information in order for them even to look into the matter.

The executor says that this problem can only be solved in Switzerland. We have all kind of documents such as death certificate to prove that we are the inheritors of him. But we don't know where to apply in Switzerland. Do you have an idea?

You don't say where his Will was found.

Well, you could begin my publishing a photo of the key and hope someone will recognise it.

Then post a photo of the key to all the 341 banks in Zurich...

http://yellow.local.ch/en/q?what=Ban...urich&rid=rTW9

A photo would be the minimum starting point if this person is hoping for some help.

Who even says that it is a key for a safety deposit box. Might be a hotel key or a key for a locker.

Let's wait and see.

The only safe deposit box key 1 ever saw had a logo of the bank & the box no on it. The pouch it was in had the clearing no of the branch & box no. Should be quite easy to find, depending on what power of a attorney was set up on the account, the bank may or may not be helpful.

Depending on the agreement when the the account was opened if its not touched for 7 years or no contact is made for 7 years, the contents may belong to the bank!

My experience is that for a safety deposit box, there is an annual fee which is debited from a bank account. Look for evidence of a such a debit on his bank statements. For a small to medium size box, probably 100 to 200 francs.

Statements will often be retained, it's an extra chargeable service! You would not want Uncle Sam to see such a statement!

Hi,

I have a safe box and on the key there is only 4 digit box number, no logo from the bank. You can open the box only by showing ID and the key, so you will have to see with your lawyer about tracking it and opening it, I don't think you can do it "remotely" from the US. There should be 2 keys btw...(at least in my case there are)

I couldn't find how to add the picture here. You can see the photo at : http://www.megafileupload.com/en/fil.../Keys-jpg.html There are 2 keys. They are exactly the same. I've blurred out the the number on the key. The same 5 digit number is written on both of the keys. And on the key holder there is 4-digits number. There are 3 things written on the key : Bauer, Zurich and a 5 digit number. As I know Bauer is the key manufacturer.

This sounds quite complicated; it should be handled by a lawyer or a private investigator in Switzerland.

... and here is the picture. Simply use the paperclip icon to upload such a file ...

It could be simply that the key system was made in Zurich. Have you tried his normal banks locally, his solicitor, lawyer, accountant... do you have a particular reason to think that he left something in Switzerland, has he actually travelled to Switzerland (got his passport ?).

Our church in Sydney, Australia, had Kaba keys - which are all marked 'swiss'.... - Kaba's the same company as 'bauer'.

So, I would start with his bank/s in the USA. Is someone also collecting mail from his old address (did you get the mail redirected) - when a family member passed away a few years ago, his wife was getting notice of shares, dividents, memberships, that she had no idea he owned...for up to 2 years afterwards.... so the mail is really important!

Where was your father living? You haven't replied to the question. Did he live in Switzerland?

If he took the trouble to write a Will, and then didn't mention the mystery keys, I suggest the keys are unimportant. The keys seem to be from a safety deposit box or a small safe.

Bauer is a German name, and there is a locksmith in Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany named Bauer. Another mystery is the spelling of Zurich. A German speaker would write Zuerich or Zürich.

I suggest your father bought a house safe and never got around to using it. Or he installed it, but spent all the money and didn't mention it in his Will as there was nothing left in there.

Have you searched his house, is there a safe under the floor boards or behind a picture?

Interestingly a Franz Bauer started a locksmith company at Zurich in 1862, this large company is now known as KaBa,
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaba_Gruppe

.

You receive TWO keys when you rent a safety deposit box at a CH bank. The photo is consistent with the style of keys used by CH banks.

The script for the next Jason Bourne installment researched on EF.ch.

Who would've thought.

I think it is from a bank safe deposit box, it's quite usual to get 2 keys, the box requires 1 key from the owner & 1 key from the banker to open the box.

I don't think the banks will be helpful due to secrecy laws, you either know about the box & accounts or you don't. You will need to look at your fathers papers.

From experience even at the right branch of the right bank, they will deny the existence of any account due to the fact it's a criminal offense to even confirm the existence of an account.

Not if you have a death certificate.

My wife's lawyer was able to check all the local banks to find her late mother's SD box, as well as accounts.

Tom

It's quite common, especially in printed type, to omit the umlaut (or any other accent) when using upper case typefaces and the UE alternative spelling is relatively recent and far from universal, so I'd suggest there's no mystery there.

FWIW I'd see nothing at all to indicate that they'd be deposit box keys. They seem to be exactly the same type as our wall safe at home.

I agree that they could very well be be for a wall safe as well (but the same design as bank keys).

What makes me now thing that it might be for a wall safe is the round disk with a number on it (model number of the safe?) that you would probably not get if they were keys for a safety deposit box.

The OP needs to look around the house to see if there might be a safe someplace (as was mentioned).