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F E D E R A L D E P O S I T I N S U R A N C E C O R P O R A T I O N
Fires, Floods and Other Misfortunes:
Are You Prepared Financially?
Be ready to conduct daily
money matters after a disaster
What items to keep at home...
and what to store elsewhere
How to avoid fraudulent charities
and other scams
Also Inside
Safe Online Banking, Shopping and
Bill Paying: Our Latest Tips
Page 5
Update on FDIC Insurance
Page 7
Reminder: Deposited Checks Subject to
Temporary “Hold”
Back Page
F E D E R A L D E P O S I T I N S U R A N C E C O R P O R A T I O N
Fires, Floods and Other Misfortunes:
Are You Prepared Financially?
Be ready to conduct daily
money matters after a disaster
What items to keep at home...
and what to store elsewhere
How to avoid fraudulent charities
and other scams
Also Inside
Safe Online Banking, Shopping and
Bill Paying: Our Latest Tips
Page 5
Update on FDIC Insurance
Page 7
Reminder: Deposited Checks Subject to
Temporary “Hold”
Back Page
2
P r e p a r i n g f o r D i s a s t e r s
Winter 2005/2006FDIC Consumer News
While Hurricane Katrina was the
dominant disaster story in the U.S. in
2005, other calamities such as floods,
fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes
or similar events occur frequently,
forcing people to evacuate their homes.
Minor disasters also damage or destroy
property or personal belongings. Just ask
anyone whose has had a water pipe burst
at home, turning their storage or living
space into a wading pool. So why is the
FDIC — a banking regulator — telling
you about floods and fires?
Because natural or man-made disasters
strike without warning and can happen
to anyone. They can also seriously
impair victims’ ability to conduct
essential financial transactions.
Certainly, your first concerns in an
emergency should be your safety and
basic needs such as shelter, food and
water. But you also should be ready to
deal with financial challenges, such as
how to pay for supplies or temporary
housing, if necessary.
“Being prepared to function financially
if you have to leave your home at a
moment’s notice will give you less to
worry about if an unfortunate event
happens to you,” said Janet Kincaid,
FDIC Senior Consumer Affairs Officer.
What about you? If you had only a few
moments to evacuate your home —
and were away for several days or even
weeks — would you have access to cash,
banking services and the personal
identification you need to conduct your
day-to-day financial life? Here are some
tips from the FDIC, based in part on
our recent experience staffing a 24-hour
call center to respond to banking-related
questions from victims of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
What to Have Ready
Consider keeping the following
documents, bank products and other
items in a secure place and readily
available in an emergency. (For guidance
on how and where to keep originals and
copies of selected items, keep reading.)
Forms of identification: These
primarily include driver’s licenses
(or state ID cards for non-drivers),
insurance cards, Social Security cards,
passports, and birth certificates. These
documents will be crucial if you or your
family should need to rebuild lost
records or otherwise prove to a
government agency, a bank or other
business that you are who you claim to
be. “It’s best to have the originals, but it’s
also important to have photocopies of
these documents in case originals are
misplaced or destroyed,” said Kincaid.
“Also, never keep the originals with the
copies.”
Your checkbook with enough blank
checks and deposit slips to last a
month or so: Your need for checks will
vary depending on how long you may be
displaced or how often you write checks.
Even if you rarely or never write checks,
at least consider having a copy of a
check or your checking account number
handy. That’s because, in an emergency,
you can authorize an important payment
by providing the recipient (for example,
an insurance company) your checking
account number over the phone.
Automated teller machine cards,
debit cards (for use at ATMs and
merchants) and credit cards: These
cards give you access to cash and the
ability to make payments on outstanding
bills. Most ATM and debit cards require
the use of personal identification
numbers (PINs), so make sure you know
those numbers. Don’t write your PINs
on or near your cards in case they are
lost or stolen. Also, don’t assume that
merchants and ATMs in areas affected
by a disaster will be immediately
functioning as usual — that’s why it’s
smart to have other options available for
getting cash and making payments, as
described in this article.
Cash: The amount you should have
available will depend on several factors,
including the number of people in your
family and your ability to use ATM,
debit and credit cards to get more cash
or make purchases. But remember that
cash in your house or wallet and not in
your bank account can easily be lost or
stolen.
Phone numbers for your financial
services providers: These would
include local and toll-free numbers for
your bank, credit card companies,
brokerage firms (for stocks, bonds or
mutual fund investments) and insurance
companies. Why have these numbers
handy? You may need to defer a
payment, replace lost cards or
documents, open new accounts, or
otherwise request assistance. If you have
people you regularly deal with, have
their phone numbers on your list, too.
“Working with someone who knows you
can speed things up and provide you
with some additional peace of mind,”
said Kincaid.
Fires, Floods and Other Misfortunes:
Are You Prepared Financially?
Disasters can impair your ability to conduct day-to-day money
matters. This guide can help you plan appropriately.
P r e p a r i n g f o r D i s a s t e r s
Winter 2005/2006FDIC Consumer News
While Hurricane Katrina was the
dominant disaster story in the U.S. in
2005, other calamities such as floods,
fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes
or similar events occur frequently,
forcing people to evacuate their homes.
Minor disasters also damage or destroy
property or personal belongings. Just ask
anyone whose has had a water pipe burst
at home, turning their storage or living
space into a wading pool. So why is the
FDIC — a banking regulator — telling
you about floods and fires?
Because natural or man-made disasters
strike without warning and can happen
to anyone. They can also seriously
impair victims’ ability to conduct
essential financial transactions.
Certainly, your first concerns in an
emergency should be your safety and
basic needs such as shelter, food and
water. But you also should be ready to
deal with financial challenges, such as
how to pay for supplies or temporary
housing, if necessary.
“Being prepared to function financially
if you have to leave your home at a
moment’s notice will give you less to
worry about if an unfortunate event
happens to you,” said Janet Kincaid,
FDIC Senior Consumer Affairs Officer.
What about you? If you had only a few
moments to evacuate your home —
and were away for several days or even
weeks — would you have access to cash,
banking services and the personal
identification you need to conduct your
day-to-day financial life? Here are some
tips from the FDIC, based in part on
our recent experience staffing a 24-hour
call center to respond to banking-related
questions from victims of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
What to Have Ready
Consider keeping the following
documents, bank products and other
items in a secure place and readily
available in an emergency. (For guidance
on how and where to keep originals and
copies of selected items, keep reading.)
Forms of identification: These
primarily include driver’s licenses
(or state ID cards for non-drivers),
insurance cards, Social Security cards,
passports, and birth certificates. These
documents will be crucial if you or your
family should need to rebuild lost
records or otherwise prove to a
government agency, a bank or other
business that you are who you claim to
be. “It’s best to have the originals, but it’s
also important to have photocopies of
these documents in case originals are
misplaced or destroyed,” said Kincaid.
“Also, never keep the originals with the
copies.”
Your checkbook with enough blank
checks and deposit slips to last a
month or so: Your need for checks will
vary depending on how long you may be
displaced or how often you write checks.
Even if you rarely or never write checks,
at least consider having a copy of a
check or your checking account number
handy. That’s because, in an emergency,
you can authorize an important payment
by providing the recipient (for example,
an insurance company) your checking
account number over the phone.
Automated teller machine cards,
debit cards (for use at ATMs and
merchants) and credit cards: These
cards give you access to cash and the
ability to make payments on outstanding
bills. Most ATM and debit cards require
the use of personal identification
numbers (PINs), so make sure you know
those numbers. Don’t write your PINs
on or near your cards in case they are
lost or stolen. Also, don’t assume that
merchants and ATMs in areas affected
by a disaster will be immediately
functioning as usual — that’s why it’s
smart to have other options available for
getting cash and making payments, as
described in this article.
Cash: The amount you should have
available will depend on several factors,
including the number of people in your
family and your ability to use ATM,
debit and credit cards to get more cash
or make purchases. But remember that
cash in your house or wallet and not in
your bank account can easily be lost or
stolen.
Phone numbers for your financial
services providers: These would
include local and toll-free numbers for
your bank, credit card companies,
brokerage firms (for stocks, bonds or
mutual fund investments) and insurance
companies. Why have these numbers
handy? You may need to defer a
payment, replace lost cards or
documents, open new accounts, or
otherwise request assistance. If you have
people you regularly deal with, have
their phone numbers on your list, too.
“Working with someone who knows you
can speed things up and provide you
with some additional peace of mind,”
said Kincaid.
Fires, Floods and Other Misfortunes:
Are You Prepared Financially?
Disasters can impair your ability to conduct day-to-day money
matters. This guide can help you plan appropriately.