Family Buried All Their Savings But Rains Ruined Them: Here’s How To Recover The Bills

Storing money in hidden places is a more than recurrent practice among ordinary people. However, sometimes the places chosen for these savings can turn out to be a nightmare instead of offering greater financial security.

It happened to a family from the rural sector of Potrero Grande, in Curicó, who decided to bury almost 3 million Chilean pesos in cash in the patio of his house.

The problem began a few weeks ago, when a frontal system hit the south-central part of the country: the intense rains and humidity ended up destroying all the bills that were in plastic bags, hidden in the ground.

Lorena Azúa, the owner of the money, told T13 that she had saved her savings in case of emergency and did not think they would end up damaged. “The storm came here, the water. We never imagined it would come here. “It was the mistake to bury it there.” said.

“As a custom, ancient peoples always saved money in order to be available to take care of their needs in case of emergency.” Azúa added.

Fortunately, for the Curicó family, the money is not completely lost. Verónica Balbotín, head of analysis at the Central Bank, explained to the same media that people can recover part of their money provided that certain conditions are met.

“The Central Bank is committed to ensuring that people maintain the value of their money. People can present these effects to the exchange after an expert opinion, an analysis that is carried out at the Central Bank,” he said.

According to the establishment, Torn, burned, stained or worn notes retain their value if they have more than 50% of their surface area in one piece.

“It will be determined whether the amount they declare and everything in the notes they present are notes, and the amount that the bank can determine will be exchanged,” Balbotín added.

For this type of case, it is recommended to dry the bills at room temperature and bring them directly to the institution. “Do not handle them or try to repair them, because you will lose the value that can eventually be exchanged,” the analyst said.

The Central Bank, through its website www.billetesymonedas.cl has a guide to knowing what conditions the notes must be in to continue to retain their value.

• Broken or missing parts: If they have suffered a tear or cut, they must retain more than 50% of their surface in one piece. They retain their value even if they do not have a serial number.
• Worn, scratched or holed: They are valid if they have more than 50% of their surface area in one piece.
• Stained or dirty: Those with paint, oil and even food stains retain their value if they have not been stained by the anti-theft security mechanisms of ATMs.
• Burnt, fungus or contaminated: The Central Bank has a more specific protocol for this type of case. If the amount is less than $5,000,000, the notes have more than 50% of their surface and can be examined by a teller to be authenticated, the change can be made immediately, without the need to present any documentation.

The agency specifies in the same section that there are two cases in which the invoices are not valid and are not modified: those that have been inked by the ATM and those that have been reconstructed.

Those who wish to exchange their damaged notes can do so directly at the Central Bank, located at 1180 Agustinas Street, Santiago Centro.

The organization also has a online search engine to know the nearest banking entities where the exchange can be made.