State Records Committee Rescission of Imaging Certification Policy

CHRIS CHRISTIE Governor KIM GUADAGNO Lt. Governor State of New Jersey DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND INSURANCE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER PO BOX 325 TRENTON, NJ 08625-0325 TEL (609) 292-7272 KENNETH E. KOBYLOWSKI Acting Commissioner Visit us on the Web at dobi.nj.gov New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer • Printed on Recycled Paper and Recyclable BULLETIN 12-05 TO: ALL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FROM: KENNETH E. KOBYLOWSKI, ACTING COMMISSIONER RE: STATE RECORDS COMMITTEE RESCISSION OF IMAGING CERTIFICATION POLICY In 2005, the State Records Committee (hereafter SRC), in conjunction with the Division of Archives and Records Management in the Department of State, adopted a “policy for certifying agencies for financial institutions’ imaging of certified checks.” The SRC is charged with setting retention schedules for government records of all state and local agencies, which includes the retention of cleared checks by issuing government agencies. The 2005 adoption of the policy on scanning of checks was driven by the elimination of the checks themselves due to the Federal “Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act,” known as “Check 21.” That law established national standards for retention of the images of checks for recordkeeping purposes, and the subsequent destruction of the paper check. The SRC established a procedure for public agencies to file with the SRC evidence that their financial institution was compliant with the SRC requirements. This was part of the New Jersey imaging certification process as outlined in N.J.A.C. 15:3‐5. Given the successful record of Check 21 imaging and subsequent advances in technology, the SRC concluded that the policy is no longer necessary and voted to rescind the policy on October 20, 2011. The Department has been advised by the SRC that by rescinding the policy, the requirement for agencies to seek imaging certification for their financial institution is lifted and agencies will no longer have to file Imaging Certification Applications or Annual Review documents. Please note that this action in no way affects or alters the processing of government checks by financial institutions under Check 21. 2 Questions may be directed to the: State Records Committee C/O Division of Archives and Records Management 2300 Stuyvesant Avenue PO Box 307 Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 Telephone: (609) 530-3200 Fax: (609) 530-6121 March 26, 2012 Date Kenneth E. Kobylowski Acting Commissioner FOS-BULLETINCheck21/innord