May Safe Deposit Boxes Be Jointly Held?
Under Missouri statutes, safe deposit boxes may be jointly rented. This type of registration must be specifically noted in the rental agreement with the bank or safe deposit box company. With a jointly rented safe deposit box, the surviving joint tenant will have immediate access to the box upon the death of the other joint tenant. However, even though a safe deposit box is rented in joint names, that alone does not mean that all of the assets contained in the box are also jointly owned. Also, joint ownership of a safe deposit box may complicate matters rather than making them simpler.
