It's been brought to my attention about whether or not placing the routing number on safe deposit keys presents a privacy issue or not. Do most banks adhere to the code?

I'm not personally familiar with SD rules but we quit engraving the box number on ours....only the bank routing number, that's all. I was thinking that the decision is regulatory somehow.

Texas Finance Code, Sec. 59.110. ROUTING NUMBER ON KEY. (a) A depository institution that rents or permits access to a safe deposit box shall imprint the depository institution's routing number on each key to the box or on a tag attached to the key.

(b) If a depository institution believes that the routing number imprinted on a key, or on a tag attached to a key, used to open a safe deposit box has been altered or defaced so that the correct routing number is illegible, the depository institution shall notify the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, on a form designed by the banking commissioner, not later than the 10th day after the date the key is used to open the box.

(c) This section does not require a depository institution to inspect the routing number imprinted on a key or an attached tag to determine whether the number has been altered or defaced. A depository institution that has imprinted a key to a safe deposit box or a tag attached to the key as provided by this section and that follows applicable law and the depository institution's established security procedures in permitting access to the box is not liable for any damage arising because of access to or removal of the contents of the box.

(d) Subsection (a) does not apply to a key issued under a lease in effect on September 1, 1992, until the date the term of that lease expires, without regard to any extension of the lease term.

Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1008, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Per Z - - it is Texas Code - so it is not a violation of privacy. Unless your keys were all issued before 1992. Any key issued or replaced after 9/1/92 should have your FI's routing number on it.

I'm not sure how it would be a violation of privacy anyway. It seems like it would be much less of a violation of privacy than a routing number on a check, which you freely give to anyone you write a check to. Besides, who sees a person's safe deposit box key besides someone who should know which bank the box is in? And if someone who shouldn't know sees it, wouldn't that be the owner's fault or decision?

Does anyone know where to find a machine that imprints the Rt number? After being at my bank for 9 years of regular examines, they finally wrote us up for not having this on our keys. Executive management was waiting until it actually came up and I have looked everywhere to find the easiest way to have our staff get them imprinted.

I googled several years ago - we have a key stamper, but I wanted to order for a branch. Didn't order - we just send ours over if they have boxes rekeyed so they can stamp them. http://www.sdspec.com/Equipment.html