New York Consolidated Laws, Abandoned Property Law - ABP § 1412-a. Retention of books and records

1. Except as provided in section five hundred thirteen-a of this chapter, every person, copartnership, unincorporated association or corporation required to file a report of abandoned property pursuant to this chapter, shall retain for a period of five years following the thirty-first day of December of the year for which such report has been filed, all books, records and documents necessary to establish the accuracy and completeness of such report. The books, records and documents to be retained pursuant to this section shall include but not be limited to general and subsidiary ledgers; journal entry records; cash receipts and disbursements journals; cancelled checks; bank reconciliations; trial balances; financial statements and supporting data; claim and confirmation letters; charts of accounts; independent auditor reports; and copies of abandoned property reports. Such books, records and documents so retained shall be made available to the state comptroller upon his request in the performance of his duties under this chapter.

2. Every report of abandoned property filed pursuant to this chapter for which supporting books, records and documents are required to be retained for five years as provided in subdivision one above, shall be presumed to be accurate following such five year period unless prior thereto the comptroller has made a certification or commenced a proceeding pursuant to subdivision three of section fourteen hundred twelve of this chapter.

3. Property subject to this chapter which is payable or deliverable to a payee or owner and which has remained unpaid or undelivered because such payee or owner is unknown, cannot be located due to the lack of a valid, present address on the records of the payor or holder, or for other reasons, shall be recorded by year of receipt on a separate account identifying the nature and origin of such property, maintained in the books and records of the payor or holder. Any transfer of such property from such separate account during the applicable periods of inactivity specified in this chapter to precede abandonment, shall be supported by adequate information in the books, records and documents set forth in subdivision one of this section or in section five hundred thirteen-a of this chapter, sufficient to establish the accuracy and propriety of the transfer. Property which remains in such separate accounts at the expiration of any such period of inactivity shall be included in abandoned property reports filed with the state comptroller pursuant to this chapter.