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Self Service Safe Deposit Boxes

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Question: 
Do you know if there is a New York state or other requirement to have a viewing booth? Any input that you have would be greatly appreciated.
Answer: 

We currently offer self-service safe deposit boxes in a few of our credit union's branches. In one particular branch they are proposing to remove the exterior viewing booth to make more office space. I already had concerns with self-service boxes, but this proposal scares me for a few reasons:

  1. Lack of privacy – if someone is inside the safe deposit vault removing/adding/viewing contents in a safe deposit box, someone else who is walking by or waiting to enter his safe deposit box can see the contents.
  2. Security – although this can happen in the booth, if someone leaves something in the vault and the next renter comes in and finds it, that person can take the valuables very quickly. In a lawsuit due to missing contents, the credit union won't look good.
  3. Member service – I'm taking my sweet time going through my box inside the vault and the next person needs to get into his box for something quick; he has to impatiently wait for me to be done.

First published on 02/23/2015

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