Unclaimed property laws and the resulting escheatment (the means of transferring unclaimed property to the state) process present a significant compliance challenge for insurance companies. These laws require businesses, including insurers, to turn over dormant or abandoned assets to the state after a specified period of inactivity. While seemingly straightforward, the intricacies of these laws and the unique nature of insurance products create a complex landscape for insurers to navigate.
In fact, reports over the years indicate a whopping $77 billion in unclaimed property in the US, with 80% of organizations not in compliance with state laws (Sovos, 2023). This is further complicated by the industry’s continued reliance on paper checks.
Key Challenges Faced by Insurance Carriers and MGAs
- Identification and Due Diligence: Identifying unclaimed property can be complex. Most carriers and MGAs pay thousands of agents commissions each month, and many of these payments are made by check. Also, mutual insurance carriers often pay policyholder dividends; again, many of these payments are made by check. Until cashed, these outstanding checks represent unclaimed property and create an additional compliance risk and financial challenge.
- Varying State Laws: Each state has its own unclaimed property laws, with differing dormancy periods, reporting requirements, and procedures. This lack of uniformity creates a compliance burden for insurers operating in multiple states. Keeping track of diverse regulations and ensuring adherence to each state’s requirements can be a logistical nightmare.
- Data Management and Reporting: Maintaining accurate and up-to-date agent bank account information can be challenging and expose the organization to additional compliance and fraud risks.
- Evolving Regulatory Landscape: Unclaimed property laws are subject to change, with states regularly updating their regulations. Staying abreast of these legislative changes and adapting internal procedures accordingly is an ongoing challenge.
- Resource Allocation: Compliance with unclaimed property laws requires significant resources, including dedicated staff, specialized software, and legal expertise. Balancing these costs with other business priorities can be a lot to juggle, particularly for smaller insurance companies.
The Paper Check Problem
Reliance on paper checks exacerbates these challenges. Uncashed checks are a common form of unclaimed property in the insurance industry. Checks can be lost, stolen, or forgotten, making reuniting them with their rightful owners difficult. Furthermore, tracking and reconciling paper checks is a manual and time-consuming process, increasing administrative burden and the risk of errors.
Digital Payments and a Network Solution
Adopting digital payment methods, such as direct deposit and electronic funds transfer, can significantly alleviate these challenges. Furthermore, leveraging a network payables solution reduces or eliminates the need to pay by check and mitigates the risk of maintaining agent banking information on your systems.
Digital payments and network payables solutions offer several advantages:
- Reduced Risk of Loss: Funds are transferred electronically, eliminating the risk of lost or stolen checks.
- Reduced overall cost: Paying by check can be 10 times as expensive as utilizing a digital payment solution.
- Improved Tracking and Reconciliation: Digital transactions provide a transparent and auditable trail, simplifying reconciliation and reporting processes.
- Increased Efficiency: Automated payment processes reduce manual effort and administrative costs.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Agents and policyholders can receive payments quickly and conveniently, improving satisfaction.
- Mitigates risk: Collecting and storing hundreds, if not thousands, of individual bank account information on your company’s platform, creates a significant risk and potential liability if that information is inappropriately accessed.
By transitioning to digital payments, insurance companies can streamline their operations, improve compliance with unclaimed property laws, and reduce the risk of escheatment.
By proactively addressing these challenges and embracing technological advancements, insurance companies can ensure compliance with unclaimed property laws, minimize risks, and uphold their fiduciary responsibilities to policyholders. For more information on how ePayPolicy can help, read more here.
- Steve Millerhttps://epaypolicy.com/author/steve-miller/
- Steve Millerhttps://epaypolicy.com/author/steve-miller/
- Steve Millerhttps://epaypolicy.com/author/steve-miller/
- Steve Millerhttps://epaypolicy.com/author/steve-miller/