#FNBHeist: I was failed by FNB, says man who lost savings

Cape Town - Although First National Bank has taken a decision to consider settlement offers with customers affected by a New Year's Eve burglary, the news comes with little relief for at least one client.

"Everything that I had of value was stolen. My savings and family heirlooms, which included items from my daughters and granddaughters are gone," he said speaking to Fin24 on condition of anonymity.

FNB's Parktown branch was robbed of R1.7m and valuables which were inside safety deposit boxes.

FNB CEO Jacques Celliers indicated that the bank is mulling over the possibility of settlement offers with these customers. This after the bank suspended three employees.

"In light of the preliminary information that is available for the Parktown burglary, the bank has, despite the fact that is not legally obliged to do so, taken a decision that it will consider settlement offers to the 48 customers who were impacted by the Parktown burglary. This is subject to the outcome of the external independent investigation that will be concluded this month," he said in a statement.

Read more on the #FNB heist:

#FNBHeists: How safe are bank vaults?

FNB safety deposit boxes targeted in New Year's Eve burglary

Can you still trust banks to keep your valuables safe?

Robbers make off with gift given during World War II

My father's most prized possessions stolen

My loss with FNB is irreplaceable

My kids' future was in that safety deposit box

The Parktown branch burglary happened two weeks after more than 300 safety deposit boxes were stolen from the bank's Randburg branch.

Celliers said regarding the customers impacted by the Randburg burglary, FNB will only be in a position to assess those claims after the final outcome of an independent external investigation.

"In the interim we can confirm that the bank will reimburse customers for insurance excess payments where customers submitted successful claims to their insurance companies."

He added that FNB will assist impacted clients by reimbursing them for reasonable costs incurred for the replacement of personal documents such as marriage certificates, identity documents, birth certificates and passports.

The victim confirmed to Fin24 that he got a call from the bank offering administrative assistance, but he said nothing was mentioned about possible compensation.

"From my point of view, FNB was a facility that was suppose to be the most secure for me to safeguard my possessions. I was failed by FNB. I don't think they secured our boxes adequately," he said.

"You can't ask a fee to secure somebody's deposit box but not take adequate steps to ensure the security of those boxes; and that is where we feel that we were failed by FNB. I am convinced that this is the case and therefore staff members were since suspended."

Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu told Fin24 there was no new developments on the cases.