As personal banking goes digital, safes seem to be relics of the analog age. However, financial advisers said that some people still want to safely leave valuables, important documents and sentimental souvenirs outside their homes.

A safe is a lockable storage box, usually located in a safe or secure area rented by banks and credit unions. Normally, the customer will receive a key and must sign in with the bank employee. The bank employee uses the second "guard" key and the customer's key to unlock the box. Some banks may provide keyless systems that allow access by scanning fingers or hands.

Federal regulators and industry organizations say they have no statistics on the use or availability of safes, but some banks and financial advisers say demand has been weak.

Bank of America spokesperson Betty Riess said that the demand for these boxes has "significantly dropped", especially among young customers who like to store files digitally. She said that less than half of the safes are rented out. Elyse Foster, a financial planner in Boulder, Colorado, said that when she contacted several banks on behalf of a client to ask if they provide safe deposit boxes, “I always get a'no' answer.” Ms. Foster said she was Informed that these boxes take up too much space, and the demand has fallen, and the favor of home safes.

But Elizabeth Seymour, a spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase, said that although she has no historical data available, Chase currently has safe deposit boxes in more than half of its branches and is still popular with customers.

According to David McGuinn, a safe deposit box consultant in Houston, millions of safe deposit boxes are still being rented and many branches provide them. He said that he considers them to be "the safest place to store anything you consider valuable."

So what should you put in one?

Bank boxes are best for storing documents and valuables that you usually don’t need in a short period of time. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation stated that "good candidates" include birth certificates, property deeds, car ownership, and original paper U.S. savings bonds that have not yet been converted into electronic versions (currently, the availability of paper savings bonds is limited).

If you travel frequently or temporarily, it may be inconvenient to keep your passport in the safe because you can only use the safe during normal bank business hours. A home safe may be a better choice. The Wirecutter is a New York Times company responsible for reviewing and recommending products, testing and recommending fireproof home safes.

Estate lawyers usually disagree with keeping the will in a safe, in case the owner's access to the safe is restricted after his death. This may cause delays in retrieving the will. "When a person dies, you may not get it," said T. Randolph Harris, a lawyer who specializes in estate and trust planning at McLaughlin & Stern in New York. He advises clients to keep the original will with their lawyer and keep a copy at home in a safe place, such as a locked file cabinet.

The consultant said it would be unwise to store emergency cash in a safe. Unlike money in a deposit account, cash in a safe is not insured by FDIC and may be easily stolen. This year, the Federal Reserve has punished a former bank employee who stole $30,000 in cash from a customer’s safe.

Banks are not immune from the risk of natural disasters. According to Mr. McGuinn, it is therefore best to seal documents or other items that may be damaged by floods in plastic bags or containers to help protect them from water damage.

Paula Pierce, an attorney in Austin, Texas, urges consumers to carefully read the safe deposit box contract, which outlines what happens if the key is lost. The American Bankers Association stated that the bank does not keep a copy of your key, so if you lose your key, you must replace the lock. Ms. Pierce said that under normal circumstances, “reinstalling the box requires a high cost”, so please keep it in a safe place.

Ms. Pierce said, in addition, it is necessary to know the rent in time. She said the details vary from state to state, but generally speaking, after a period of notice, the bank may be allowed to sell the contents of the box to cover the arrears. Any excess money will be handed over to the state as unclaimed property.

David J. O'Brien, a fee-based financial planner in Midlothian, Virginia, said that he encourages customers to take inventory and regularly visit boxes to verify their content. He said that a relative’s safe was mistakenly opened and emptied by her bank, which confuses it with another safe with a similar number, whose owner defaulted on rent. He said that the contents of the box-including a watch with emotional value-were eventually recovered. But this incident shows that it is a mistake to let things decay indefinitely. "You need to catalog the contents," he said, "then check it."

Here are some questions and answers about safes:

How much does a safe usually cost?

The cost varies depending on the location and the size of the box, and may range from US$20 to US$200 per year. Customers with certain accounts may receive discounts.

Are the valuables in my safe covered by insurance?

Usually not. Banks usually do not insure the contents of the box. Therefore, if you want to store jewelry or other valuables, you should purchase insurance separately, said Lynne McChristian, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute. Usually, you will evaluate the item and then "arrange" the coverage of its replacement value on your homeowner's insurance policy. She said that if the items are stored in a safe, the insurance company usually charges a lower insurance premium.

Is my safe deposit box tax deductible?

Lewis Altfest, CEO of Altfest Personal Wealth Management in New York, said that it won't be anymore. In some cases, such expenses were previously available as miscellaneous deductions on your federal tax return, but as part of last year's tax reform, the deductions were suspended.