Article 2. Remedies For Nonpayment Of Rent of California Financial Code >> Division 1.1. >> Chapter 17. >> Article 2.

Every bank conducting a safe-deposit business shall be entitled to the special remedies set forth in this article in enforcing the liabilities of safe-deposit box renters and of safekeeping and storage depositors.

If the rental of any safe-deposit box is not paid within six months from the day it is due, the bank, or at any time thereafter and while such rental remains unpaid, may mail a notice to the person in whose name such box stands on its records stating that if the amount due for such rental is not paid on or before a specified day, which must be at least 30 days after the date of mailing such notice, the bank will cause such box to be forced open.

At any time after the date specified in such notice, if the rental for such safe-deposit box to the date of payment and the cost of giving such notice have not been paid, the bank, in the presence of two of its employees, one of whom shall be an officer of the bank, may cause such box to be opened and the contents thereof to be removed and inventoried. The inventory shall be signed by such persons.

The following persons, and no others, are entitled to receive from the bank a copy of the inventory:
  (a) An executor of the decedent's will.
  (b) The administrator of the decedent's estate.
  (c) The attorney for the executor or administrator.
  (d) A tenant of the safe-deposit box.
  (e) Any heir of the decedent or beneficiary under the decedent's will.
  (f) Any person whom the superior court having jurisdiction by order directs should be allowed to obtain a copy of the inventory.

All contents removed from a safe-deposit box pursuant to Section 1632 shall be retained by the bank for at least two years unless sooner delivered to or on the order of the person in whose name such box stood on the records of the bank. The bank shall deliver the contents of such box to or on the order of the person in whose name such box stood on its records, upon payment to it before such contents are sold or destroyed, of all rental due at the time of opening the box, the cost of giving notice, the charges for opening the box and for custody of the contents, and any other proper charges. The bank may deliver such contents on the order of the person in whose name such box stood on its records, irrespective of any information disclosed by the contents indicating ownership thereof by any other person.

At any time after two years from the day when a safe-deposit box has been opened pursuant to this article, the bank may mail a notice to the person in whose name such box stood on its records, stating that unless the amounts due to the bank for rental, for the cost of mailing and publishing notice of sale, and for its charges for opening the box and for custody of its contents, and any other proper charges, giving the total amount thereof, are paid, the bank will offer for sale the contents thereof at a time and place named in such notice, which time shall be at least 30 days after the mailing thereof. If the amounts specified in such notice are not paid before the time of sale designated therein, the bank may sell all or any portion of the contents of such box, other than contents of the character described in Section 1668 and other than bonds and other securities which at the time of sale are listed on an established stock exchange in the United States, at public sale at the time and place given in such notice. Notice of the time and place of sale shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the sale is to be held once at least five days before the date of sale, or if no such newspaper is published in the county such notice shall be posted in three public places in the county at least five days before the date of sale. Such notice need describe the property only in general terms and as the unclaimed contents of a safe-deposit box. Such sale may be postponed from time to time by public pronouncement at the time and place of sale.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this article, no stocks, bonds, or other securities which, at the time of sale pursuant to Section 1635, are listed on any established stock exchange in the United States may be sold at public sale but may be sold at any time thereafter through an established stock exchange.

Upon the making of a sale of any securities, an officer of the bank shall execute and attach to the securities so sold an affidavit reciting facts showing that such securities were sold pursuant to this article and that the provisions of this article governing such sale have been complied with. The affidavit shall be and constitute sufficient authority to any corporation whose stock is so sold or to any registrar or transfer agent of such corporation to cancel the certificates of stock so sold and to issue a new certificate or certificates representing such stock to the purchaser thereof, and to any registrar, trustee, or transfer agent of registered bonds or other securities, to register any such bonds or other securities in the name of the purchaser thereof.

From the proceeds of any sale the bank shall deduct the amount set forth in such notice and any further charges which may have accrued since the mailing of the notice and shall record the balance of the proceeds, if any, on its books as a liability payable to the person in whose name the safe-deposit box was rented.

Any documents, letters, or other articles found in a safe-deposit box opened pursuant to Section 1632, which in the judgment of at least two officers of the bank have no intrinsic or marketable value, need not be offered for sale. Any documents, letters, and articles and any other contents which have been offered for sale and for which no purchaser has been found, shall be retained by the bank for not less than one year from the date when the box was opened. At any time thereafter, unless sooner delivered to or on the order of the person in whose name the box stood on the records of the bank, the documents, letters, and articles and also those contents which have been offered for sale and for which no purchaser has been found, may be destroyed in the presence of an officer of the bank, but if no notice of intended sale of the contents of the box has been given pursuant to Section 1635, the bank shall mail a notice of its intention to destroy the documents, letters, and articles at least 30 days before the destruction of the same to the person in whose name the box stood on the records of the bank.

If, before the effective date of this section, a bank or its predecessor in interest, has caused a safe-deposit box to be opened for nonpayment of rental, and the contents of such box or any part thereof remain in its custody, it shall be entitled to the special remedies in enforcing the liability of the former renter of such box as set forth in Sections 1634 to 1639, inclusive, whether or not such box was rented prior to October 1, 1949.

Whenever a bank receives personal property for safekeeping or storage as bailee and issues a receipt therefor, the bank may enforce its lien as warehouseman in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code or at its option in the manner provided in Sections 1671 to 1673, inclusive, of this article.

If the amount charged by a bank for the safekeeping or storage of personal property is not paid within six months from the day it is due, the bank, at any time thereafter and while such charges remain unpaid, may mail a notice to the person in whose name the receipt was issued, giving the amount then due for such safekeeping or storage and stating that unless such amount and any other charges accruing to the date of payment are paid, the bank will sell such personal property at a time and place named therein, which time shall be at least 30 days after the mailing of such notice. If the amount specified in such notice and all other charges of the bank and expenses of mailing and publishing notice of sale accruing to time of payment are not paid, the bank may sell all or any portion of such personal property at public sale at the time and place given in such notice. Notice of the time and place of sale shall be published once at least five days before the date of sale in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county in which the sale is to be held, or if no such newspaper is published in the county such notice shall be posted in three public places in the county at least five days before the date of sale. Such sale may be postponed from time to time by public pronouncement at the time and place of sale. The bank may include in the notice required to be mailed a statement to the effect that if the amount due at that time is not paid at least 10 days before the date set for the sale, it may cause any container in which any of such personal property may be, to be opened and the contents thereof to be sold at the time and place fixed for the sale with or without such container, or the container may be sold without the contents. If such statement is included in the notice, the bank, at any time within 10 days before the date fixed for the sale, may open any such container and remove the contents in the presence of two employees of the bank, one of whom shall be an officer thereof, both of whom shall make and sign an inventory of the contents. Thereafter, on the day fixed for the sale, the contents may be sold as a whole or separately and with or without the container, or the container may be sold without the contents.

From the proceeds of the sale, the bank shall deduct all charges as stated in the final notice, together with any further charges that have accrued since the mailing thereof, and reasonable expenses for notices, advertising, and sale, and shall credit the balance of the proceeds, if any, to an account in the name of the person in whose name the receipt for such personal property was issued.

Any documents, letters, or other articles which, in the judgment of an officer of the bank, have no apparent intrinsic or marketable value, need not be offered for sale. The documents, letters, and articles and any other articles which have been offered for sale and for which no purchaser has been found, shall be retained by the bank for not less than one year from the date when notice of sale was mailed. At any time thereafter, unless sooner delivered to or on the order of the person in whose name the receipt was issued, the documents, letters and articles may be destroyed in the presence of an officer of the bank and of a notary public.

The power conferred on a bank to sell the contents of a safe-deposit box or personal property received for safekeeping or storage for nonpayment of rental or other charges, includes power to sell any bonds, stock certificates, promissory notes, choses in action, or other securities, and any other tangible or intangible property found in such box or in the container in which such personal property was received for safekeeping or storage, regardless of whether it appears from such securities or property that the person in whose name the box stood or to whom the safekeeping or storage receipt was issued, possesses title to any interest in such securities or other property or power to transfer such title or interest.

A bank holding a safe-deposit box originally rented from, or personal property against which a safekeeping or storage receipt was issued by, a predecessor in interest, or a bank holding the contents of such box, shall be entitled to the remedies as to such box or the contents thereof or as to the safekeeping or storage of such property in like manner and to the same extent as if such box had been rented from or such safekeeping or storage of personal property had been received by such bank in the first instance.

The provisions of this article do not preclude any other remedy by action or otherwise now or hereafter existing for the enforcement of the claims of a bank against the person in whose name the safe-deposit box stood or stands, or in whose name the safekeeping or storage receipt was issued, nor bar the right of a bank to so recover, at its option, either the entire amount of the debt due to it without recourse to sale of the property, if any, or so much of the debt due to it as shall not have been paid by the proceeds of the sale of all or any portion of the property deposited with it.

If the principal of, or interest or dividends on, any securities that have come into the possession of any bank by reason of action taken pursuant to this article, is due and payable at the time such securities come into the bank's possession, or thereafter while such securities remain in the possession of the bank, shall become due and payable, the bank at its election may collect such principal, interest, or dividends and from the proceeds thereof may deduct all sums then due to it from the person to whom such safe-deposit box was rented or to whom such safekeeping or storage receipt was issued. The remainder of the money so collected, if any, shall be credited by the bank to the account of the delinquent boxholder or of the person in whose name the safekeeping or storage receipt was issued.

(a) Whenever this article requires that notice be sent to a person, and the box stood or stands on the records of the bank or the safekeeping or storage receipt was issued in the names of two or more persons, notice addressed to either or to any one of the two or more persons shall be binding upon and effective as to the remaining person or all remaining persons, and notice addressed to the name of any deceased individual shall be binding upon his or her legal representatives and on his or her heirs and legatees.
  (b) Whenever this article requires that notice be published prior to a sale, the notice shall include the name and address of the person in whose name the safe-deposit box stood on the records of the bank or the safekeeping or storage receipt was issued. The names and addresses of all persons whose property is to be sold at the same time and place may be included in a single published notice.
  (c) Whenever this article requires that an amount be credited to the account of a person in whose name a safe-deposit box stood on the records of the bank or a safekeeping or storage receipt was issued, and the box stood or the receipt was issued in two or more names, the account shall be in both or all the names, subject to withdrawal by or upon the written order of any one or more of those persons, or by their successors or legal representatives.
  (d) Whenever this article requires that a notice shall be mailed to the person in whose name the safe-deposit box stood on the records of the bank or a safekeeping or storage receipt was issued, the notice shall be deemed to have been so mailed if it is enclosed in a sealed envelope addressed to the person in whose name the safe-deposit box stood in the office of the bank at which the records of the safe-deposit box rentals are kept, or to the person in whose name the receipt was issued, as the case may be, addressed to the person at the address or place appearing on the safe-deposit or storage records of the office, and the envelope with postage prepaid has been deposited by at least first-class mail in the United States mail.

Whenever an amount of safe-deposit rental, custody, safekeeping, or other charge is to be paid or deducted pursuant to this article, there shall be added to and paid or deducted with said amount, the amount of any tax imposed by laws and regulations.

Any bank or trust company may receive bonds issued by the United States Government for safekeeping, collection, or storage, and shall receipt therefor to the depositor and shall maintain adequate records of all transactions therewith. In every case of such deposit the depositary bank shall have the right to return to the depositor either the identical bonds deposited by him or other bonds of the same issue, par value, and character.