how long do you keep personal bank statements
December 4, 2009. Storing bank records online is a breeze. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation website recommends keeping any cancelled checks or bank statements pertaining to taxes for at least seven years. If a bank statement or cancelled check doesn't relate to an IRS item, you can shred it after one year. However, you might want to keep checks or statements relating to major life purchases -- such as your house -- indefinitely. The same holds true for checks written for home upgrades, which might come in handy if you sell the property.