> My money that is stored in some bank's DB is not on my local computer, but I sure hope it's mine.
You have a contract with your bank which says that they owe you a certain amount of money based on your past interactions. That contractual claim against the bank is what you actually own. The number in their database is just a summary of those interactions. Just see what happens when the bank messes up and enters a larger number in their database than what the contract says they owe you: The DB is not authoritative; the contract is.
Physical possession is not, of course, a requirement of ownership, though it certainly helps.
There is also a difference between owning specific property, such as the contents of a safe deposit box, and an entitlement to be paid according to the terms of a contract. In a very real sense, until you make that demand for a withdrawal in accordance with the contract the actual money belongs to the bank, and as a depositor you are merely one of the bank's creditors, just as you do in fact own your home even while it's serving a collateral for a mortgage and could be claimed by the bank if you fail to keep up with the payments.
You have a contract with your bank which says that they owe you a certain amount of money based on your past interactions. That contractual claim against the bank is what you actually own. The number in their database is just a summary of those interactions. Just see what happens when the bank messes up and enters a larger number in their database than what the contract says they owe you: The DB is not authoritative; the contract is.
Physical possession is not, of course, a requirement of ownership, though it certainly helps.
There is also a difference between owning specific property, such as the contents of a safe deposit box, and an entitlement to be paid according to the terms of a contract. In a very real sense, until you make that demand for a withdrawal in accordance with the contract the actual money belongs to the bank, and as a depositor you are merely one of the bank's creditors, just as you do in fact own your home even while it's serving a collateral for a mortgage and could be claimed by the bank if you fail to keep up with the payments.