Key Takeaways
- Financial crisis planning needs to prioritize high-value physical assets like cash and safe-deposit boxes, not just digital assets.
- A visible show of security can draw unwanted attention to valuables; a discreet, low-profile approach can mitigate the risk of curiosity and crime.
- High-value asset recovery may require a specialized team that understands crowd psychology, logistics and how to communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
When you think of financial institution crisis planning following a natural disaster, most people go right to thinking about data, remote servers, digital transactions and temporary office spaces for employees.
But what about the immediate security needs surrounding physical assets like cash and safety deposit boxes? There’s a great deal of on-the-ground risk for financial institutions and their clients during and after a natural disaster, particularly when high-value (and high-risk) assets are at stake.
What Does High-Stakes Asset Recovery After a Wildfire Entail?
When thousands of structures and local businesses in Los Angeles County were destroyed by the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire, Protos Security went to work on high-stakes recovery for one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Organizations with high-value assets have to respond differently than other businesses in a crisis, with discretion and precision every step of the way. In these cases, client trust and operational continuity are both on the line.
With a vault containing upwards of $10M in client assets, ironclad high-value transport was essential to our client. Protos set out to ensure that the bank branch, which had suffered extensive fire damage, received a fast and secure recovery operation.
The Social Signaling of Authority: Expectations vs. Reality
Following the wildfire, our client’s initial reaction was understandably human: they wanted a fast, highly visible show of security. With millions of dollars in exposed assets in a compromised structure, it’s natural for leadership to want a fleet of cop cars to show up. However, in the world of high-stakes, high-value asset management, expert judgment needs to override client instinct; understanding the crowd psychology of a disaster zone requires hands-on experience.
For most disaster recovery scenarios, a visible security presence is exactly the right call. Moving high-value assets out of a compromised structure is a different situation entirely. The social signaling of authority can sometimes invite curiosity and inspire crime rather than deter it. In this case, an onslaught of police cars and tactical gear might have inadvertently told crowds, the media and potential bad actors about the valuables at stake. The plan instead was to appear as minimal as possible with security efforts, moving from a public display of force in numbers to a highly coordinated, low-profile transport operation.
A Specialized Team of Security Experts
The client needed a discreet and precise recovery operation. Protos brought in a specialized team of plainclothes off-duty law enforcement trained in sensitive asset recovery to quietly and securely transfer the high-value assets to a protected facility. This team was comprised of:
- Security officers trained in high-value transport, crowd control and emergency response, able to manage unwanted media attention or unauthorized interference.
- Individuals who could observe and report, de-escalate situations if they arose and lawfully enforce boundaries during the operation.
- Logistics specialists with expertise in asset recovery and secure transport who conducted road surveys and planned convoy movements to ensure the seamless transfer vault contents to a secure facility.
How Do Security Experts Work with Regulations and City Officials?
A natural disaster like a wildfire affects entire communities. In this case, the National Guard and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had roadblocks and restricted access in place. With this specialized team in place, Protos was able to coordinate with the LAPD and city officials to secure the necessary permits and access.
As a result, on the day of execution, the recovery operation took less than 10 hours—an accelerated timeline that wouldn’t have been possible without the combination of strategic crisis management, regulatory navigation and tactical execution.
PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES
Get real-world perspectives from business continuity, disaster recovery and guarding operations leaders at Holman, Verizon and Protos.
Lessons in Crisis Planning from the Experts
Even with the most thorough crisis management plan, things happen; structural issues, governmental regulations and internal logistics can break down in real time. That’s why it’s even more critical to have a crisis plan that covers the core components of a disaster as it affects your specific business.
Patience, Not Panic
During the wildfires, bank leadership could’ve called in a fleet of police officers to seemingly secure the scene and start moving high-value assets out. However, sending any security officer into an active disaster before the damage is done can pose a major liability risk to their physical safety and clients’ sensitive assets. Fortunately, a strategic and discreet team trained in exactly this high-stakes operation was deployed instead.
Education and Execution
Teams like those assembled by Protos aren’t only there to manage and execute logistics on the ground. They also partner with internal and external stakeholders to identify, roadmap and execute the right plan for the unique situation.
In this instance, the regional director of the bank understood the need for a low-profile approach, but many people he worked with internally on a daily basis didn’t. The extreme structural damage from the wildfire and panic from third-parties distracted them from the best path forward. By clearly and authoritatively detailing a logical and timely plan, Protos was able to manage expectations and get the job done quickly and quietly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the questions financial leaders ask most when building a crisis plan around physical assets.
What should a financial institution's crisis plan include for physical assets?
Financial institution crisis planning typically focuses on data continuity and remote operations. Physical assets like cash, vault contents and safe-deposit boxes carry immediate on-the-ground risk during and after a natural disaster. A complete plan accounts for secure storage, high-value transport and the logistics of coordinating with local authorities before an emergency happens, not during one.
Why can a visible security presence increase risk during a high-value asset recovery?
A large, visible show of force produces a behavioral response that can work against you. It signals to the public, the media and potential bad actors that something valuable is being moved. In high-stakes recovery situations, a low-profile approach with plainclothes personnel tends to reduce that risk far more than an overt display of authority.
What are the biggest gaps in most financial institution disaster recovery plans?
Most plans cover data backup and operational continuity but leave physical asset recovery as an afterthought. That gap becomes a serious problem when a branch is structurally compromised and high-value assets need to be moved quickly and quietly. Having a specialized team and a transport protocol established before a disaster hits is what separates a fast recovery from a chaotic one.
What’s Your Financial Institution’s Crisis Plan?
Extreme disasters call for extreme measures. It can save you countless hours and dollars, not to mention help you recover faster, if you have a plan in place for your organization. An after-action review can make a vast financial and psychological difference for your business and those you serve.
Read the full case study to get all the details about Protos’ High-Profile Asset Recovery at Pacific Palisades.
