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JMS Advisory Group, LLC. An Overview of Unclaimed Property James O. Santivañez, President JMS Advisory Group, LLC. Unclaimed Property 101 Compliance Reporting Process Audit Defense Basics Asset Recovery Overview. Topics of Discussion. UP 101 – What is Unclaimed Property?.
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JMS Advisory Group, LLC An Overview of Unclaimed Property James O. Santivañez, President JMS Advisory Group, LLC
Unclaimed Property 101 Compliance Reporting Process Audit Defense Basics Asset Recovery Overview Topics of Discussion
UP 101 – What is Unclaimed Property? • Generally consists of intangible personal property that a business or organization has in its possession that has not been claimed by the true owner • Also referred to as “abandoned property” or “escheat” • Monetary assets such as bank accounts, refunds, uncashed checks, securities & credit balances
Holder - The business or any other entity which "holds” inactive property that belongs to another and is deemed to be presumptively abandoned under state law Apparent Owner - A person whose name appears on the records of a holder as the person entitled to property held, issued, or owing by the holder Dormancy Period - Period of time the holder retains the property before preforming due diligence Due Diligence - The Holder’s last attempt to contact the owner and reunite the owner with property Last Known Address -The location of the owner of unclaimed property sufficient for the purposes of the delivery of mail UP 101 - Terms
UP 101 – Terms Continued • Negative report - Report stating that the Holder has no property to report for a filing period • Preliminary & final states - States require a report of unclaimed property due to the state. Payment to the state is done at a later final report date • Report & remit states - States requiring reporting and remitting of property at the same time. Most states are report and remit states • Uniform Unclaimed Property Acts - The Uniform Acts are the basis for many states unclaimed property laws. These were adopted in: 1954, 1966, 1981, & 1995.
UP 101 – Reporting Basics • Where to report? • Priority rules • Texas v. New Jersey (1965) • What property is reportable? • Abandoned intangible property • Uncashed payroll/accounts payable checks • Accounts receivable credit balances • Insurance proceeds • Unredeemed gift cards/certificates • Securities/stock • Dormant bank accounts
Compliance – Holder Responsibilities • Determine what property is dormant • Mitigation • Internal research • Application of exemptions and deductions • Perform due diligence • Determine when the property should be transferred to the state • Report & remit property timely • Penalty and Interest for late filings/property • Maintain copies of reports and supporting documentation • Statute of limitations
Compliance – What’s Dormant? • Depends on the property type and the state • Typical dormancy periods: • Payroll/Commissions MS01 1 Year • Accounts payable MS08 3-5 Years • Accounts receivable MS09 3-5 Years • Other outstanding checks MS16 3-5 Years • Gift certificates/cards MS12 3-5 Years • Exemptions & deductions • Business to business • Gift card/certificate • Deminimis amounts & allowable deductions • Prompt pay statutes
Compliance – Due Diligence • When do I do due diligence? • Typically 60 to 120 days prior to the report due date • Do I have to perform due diligence? • Yes, due diligence is statutorily required for almost all states • I have 100 items in the amount of $.01, do I have to send a letter for those items? • No, most states have an amount threshold in between $20-$50 • Can I recover my costs for due diligence? • Sometimes a state may allow a line item expense deduction on the report total for due diligence costs
Compliance – When are the Reports Due? KEY March 1 March 10 March 31 April 15 April 30/May 1 July 1 Oct 31/Nov 1 Nov 1/June 15
Compliance – Other Common Questions • Does the state require electronic filing/payments? • Some states do require electronic filings and payments once a certain threshold is achieved • There can be penalty for not complying with these requirements • Are there options out there for assistance? • There are a variety of software programs that are available. One program is even free. • Compliance outsourcing is also an option • Is unclaimed property compliance required by law? • Yes, compliance is required under all state statutes • State enforcement of compliance is on the rise
Audits – Increased Activity • Witnessing Increases in number & in scope • Where most of the new property types are coming from • “Uninvoiced Payable” • With belt-tightening, sates that have historically been lenient are now pursuing interest/penalties for non-compliance • Industry-specific audit focus is back in certain states
Audits – We Got the Notice… Now What? • Take the audit notice seriously • The auditors represent the states and have the authority to assess interest and penalties • Assess your potential liability • Have an idea of what the potential assessment may be. Virtually every company has some degree of liability • Determine how you will handle the audit • Internally or with outside consultation • Make sure the scope of the audit is clearly defined • Do not give the auditors unsupervised access to your records, assign one point of contact to assist
Audits – Holder’s Rights • Due process • Adherence to statutes & regulations • Adherence to state-specific written audit procedures • Claiming/application of exemptions & deductions • FOIA requests • Confidentiality
Asset Recovery – Recover Funds for Your Company • States have billions in their unclaimed property accounts waiting to be claimed • Identify your company’s history • M&A activity • Old DBA’s & locations • Gather corporate documents • Letter of authorization to claim funds • Affidavit of previous address • IRS Schedule 851 • Corporate entity map – Organization chart
Asset Recovery – Where to Look • Start with the state UP websites • Check the databases regularly – most update once a year • www.naupa.org is a good place to locate each state website • Missing Money – www.missingmoney.com • Consolidate searching source, about 40 states participate, sometimes can be outdated • Bankruptcy courts • Federal sites
Asset Recovery – Tips of the Trade • Know how each database functions • Wildcard search (* represents unknown terms, etc.) • Exact term match • Partial term match • Spelling, spaces, & order • The Coca-Cola Company, Coca Cola, Coke, CocaCola, Coke Cola, Coke Co, etc. • Track your activity & results • Timeline what you did and when you did it • Follow up with states in a timely fashion • Be patient & organized • It could take a year or longer in some states to reissue funds • Timing of claims does matter
Questions? James O. Santivañez President JMS Advisory Group, LLC 404.474.7733 jsantivanez@jmsadvisors.com www.jmsadvisors.com