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By: Laurie Andrews, Gary Joseph and Brian McCarthy The unclaimed property audit landscape is forever changing.  Just a few years ago there were only a handful of active third party contingent fee audit firms, whereas today there are currently 8+ audit firms contracted by the states to audit companies to ensure compliance with unclaimed property.  […]

By: Gary Joseph and Paola Narez In order to maintain compliance with states’ unclaimed property statutes, holders must understand the types of unclaimed properties they are susceptible to generating and the conditions that would begin the running of the dormancy period for each property type (the “dormancy trigger”).  Property becomes abandoned or unclaimed when an […]

Spring unclaimed property reporting deadlines are coming up fast, are you prepared? Spring reporting runs from March through May and varies by state and industry. Most spring reporting states only require reporting for life insurance companies/holders. However, there are other spring reporting states that require reporting on all insurance companies, life and non-life, including Delaware, […]

2020 has been quite the year! As with all aspects of our lives, the unclaimed property world was significantly impacted by this year’s events. We have had to learn to operate our businesses, meet our unclaimed property obligations and effectively function amid office shut downs and virtual workspaces. The first unclaimed property challenge of 2020 […]

Insurance companies, like all “holders,” are required to comply with the unclaimed property laws for each state or jurisdiction within the United States and its territories. Although there are some similarities, many states have different reporting requirements and dormancy periods. As of late, there have been many legislative changes affecting the unclaimed property laws. Therefore, […]

This blog was last updated on February 16, 2024. Financial institution unclaimed property, including banks and credit unions, is unique with different property codes, dormancy periods and even different reporting deadlines. Some of the unique challenges for financial institutions when it comes to unclaimed property compliance are: Special dormancy triggers for decedents, IRAs and certificates […]

UPExpress, the free tool for companies to eFile unclaimed property reports directly to participating states, was discontinued at the end of 2020 because the current file formats no longer aligned with many of the state’s newly implemented technologies. You can still eFile unclaimed property reports to states that accept online reporting. However, if you plan […]

This blog was updated on January 11, 2023. Unclaimed property compliance for energy, oil and gas companies can be an especially complex process due to various industry-specific nuances and intricacies. Exclusive property types, such as net revenue interest and royalty payments, title disputes, and operationally intensive state requirements all contribute to the uniqueness of the […]

Understanding unclaimed property dormancy periods by state and executing the appropriate decisions can make or break your company’s unclaimed property program. This is due primarily to the fact that each state has varying dormancy periods. To complicate matters even further, each state has specific dormancy periods for each corresponding property type. As a result, determining […]

This blog was updated on July 13, 2022 The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrator’s (NAUPA) III format for unclaimed property has been in the works for a while now, and the first draft was scheduled to be published on July 5, 2022. Upon checking NAUPA’s website on July 5, 2022, the following message was […]

Last week, Sovos purchased the unclaimed property consulting services and reporting technology of Keane. This acquisition boosts our SaaS and services offerings for unclaimed property compliance — just as states are hungry for revenue streams to offset their budgetary gaps. This is a critical time for insurers, financial institutions and other companies facing compliance regulations […]

Did your company receive an invitation in February 2020 to join the Delaware Voluntary Disclosure Agreement Program (SOS VDA Program)? If so, you have extra time to enroll in the program. The Office of Unclaimed Property extended the enrollment deadline to July 18, 2020. How to enroll If you intend to enroll, send a completed […]

Unclaimed property compliance is a year-round job. Preparations must be made monthly in order to stay compliant. Below are the top 5 ways you can stay ahead of your unclaimed property obligations, before they turn into penalties. 1. Review procedures and document them: A lack of good audit trails and procedure documentation is commonplace in […]

Healthcare providers build up patient credit balances from collecting more coinsurance, copays, and deductibles than they earn. Unfortunately, because the fees are unearned, the healthcare provider has inadvertently accepted fiduciary responsibility for the funds. In addition to safeguarding the funds from potential loss, the healthcare provider is now facing penalties and interest from the states […]

According to Forrester Research, 65 percent of North American enterprises relied on public cloud platforms in 2019. This is five times the percentage that used cloud platforms 6 years ago. Leading businesses are flocking to cloud solutions because of the numerous benefits they provide. Below are the top 4 benefits of using a cloud-based unclaimed […]

Did your business receive a letter from the Delaware Secretary of State (SOS) Office? On February 20th, the Delaware SOS office sent “over 100 letters to various companies…that have been identified as likely being out of compliance with Delaware law, 12 Del. C. ch. 11, as it relates to reporting dormant, abandoned, or unclaimed property.” […]

Not all states have the same requirements for completing an unclaimed property state report. The state of New York requires that certain companies publish unclaimed property information in newspapers in the form of advertisements. It is important to note the advertising does not replace the need to send due diligence letters. Both advertising and due […]

Unclaimed property retention requirements vary based on each state’s rules and regulations. Depending upon the property type and state, record retention periods can take up to 10 years, not including the dormancy period. This means you could retain records for up to 20 years. To successfully keep track of all these records and avoid an […]