Say somebody steals your wallet while you're traveling. Wouldn't it be convenient to recover copies of crucial credit-card infor-mation and other documents from any computer, anywhere?

How about a record of your will, trust documents, medical or tax records -- even family photos, favorite songs and the video of your daughter's first dance recital -- in the event of a house fire or other disaster?

Starting this summer, Wells Fargo customers can lock away copies of such treasures in the vSafe, a virtual safe-deposit box. A virtual copy isn't a legal document, but it sure can help reconstitute one that's lost or destroyed.

The vSafe will be rolled out nationwide by year-end. Prices range from $4.95 a month for a 1-gigabyte safe to $14.95 a month for 6GB of storage -- enough for 60,000 documents or 3,900 digital photographs.

Wells Fargo isn't the first to dream up online storage. But don't discount its old-line banking reputation, says Celent analyst Bob Meara. "You've got to believe that Wells will bend over backward to make things secure."

If you're happy with your current bank, says Meara, there's probably no need to switch. He expects online vaults to catch on at other banks soon.

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