Families say valued possessions still missing years after bank emptied their safety deposit boxes

 

If there's one thing Sheila Levy-Bencheton took for granted, it's that the safety deposit box her father rented from a big bank was secure.

That's until her dad passed away in 2017 at age 103.

The Toronto woman went to TD Canada Trust to empty the box a few months later, and discovered the bank had already done it years ago — forcing it open by drilling the lock then emptying the contents.

The bank drilled open and emptied thousands of safety deposit boxes across the country in 2012 in an effort to get rid of those no longer being used or paid for. It says its policies require the contents to be set aside for safe keeping.

But Levy-Bencheton says she's still missing her family's most valued possessions and fighting for compensation.

And she's not the only one. Go Public also spoke to an Edmonton man who lost thousands of dollars' worth of irreplaceable 22-karat gold jewelry, who says the bank did the same thing to him.

"Once it is gone, it's gone," said Suraj Khatiwada.

Both he and Levy-Bencheton say they can't believe the bank would open the boxes and remove their possessions.  (more...)

Families say valued possessions still missing years after bank emptied their safety deposit boxes