Tag Archives: Delaware

Predicting the Possible “Perfect Storm” of Unclaimed Property Trends in 2018

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Our Unclaimed Property Group looks ahead to 2018’s perfect storm of holder- and state-initiated litigation and more. Litigation – what happened and what’s next Adopting the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act The ABA’s Model Unclaimed Property Act Delaware’s VDA program Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

Delaware Finalizes Much-Anticipated

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In the wake of litigation, Delaware revamped its Escheats Law in early 2017. Now the state has issued final regulations required by the legislation. Our Unclaimed Property Team takes stock of the changes and the quickly approaching deadline for holders to act. Regulations reflect the same old Delaware audit practices Holders must consider whether to convert an audit to a VDA When exactly is the deadline? Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

Unclaimed Property ADVISORY: Delaware’s Escheats Law Faces Due Process Challenge

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Our Unclaimed Property Team delves into the Third Circuit decision that gives Plains’s due process claim its day in court and could give holders a leg up on Delaware’s Escheats Law. The district court dismisses on all counts Third Circuit allows due process claim The implications Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

Unclaimed Property ADVISORY: Delaware Reworks Its Recent Unclaimed Property Overhaul Legislation

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Delaware revised its unclaimed property overhaul legislation, and the Secretary of State issued its final VDA estimation regulations. Our Unclaimed Property Team explains what happened and what’s happening next. Five-month extension for Department of Finance’s regulations Holder-friendly updates to SB 13 New Department of State VDA estimation regulations Read the advisory here. [...]Read more

Unclaimed Property ADVISORY: Sailing the Sea Change of Delaware’s New Escheat Law

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Now that Delaware's rewrite of its escheats laws is enshrined in Delaware law, holders will soon be faced with making some important decisions about audits and the VDA program. Our Unclaimed Property Group takes stock of what it means for holders going forward. Read the full advisory here. [...]Read more

Delaware’s Unclaimed Property Overhaul Legislation Awaits the Governor’s Signature

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Exactly two weeks after introduction, Delaware’s major unclaimed property overhaul bill – SB 13 – passed both the Senate and the House of Delaware’s General Assembly on January 26.  The bill is now on the desk of newly inaugurated Governor Carney and is awaiting signature.  We have previously addressed some of the significant features of SB 13 here.  To summarize, SB 13 represents a complete rewrite of the Delaware Escheats Law in reaction to the Temple-Inland decision and other recent unclaimed property developments.  Although SB 13 is inspired by and based in part on the new 2016 [...]Read more

Unclaimed Property ADVISORY: Delaware Moves to Revamp Its Unclaimed Property Law

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Our Unclaimed Property Group explores legislation introduced in the state Senate that if enacted, would prompt a sea change in Delaware law governing abandoned and unclaimed property.

Read the full advisory here.

Plains All American Case Dismissed – Federal Court Determines Holder Must Develop Factual Record Before Challenging Kelmar Unclaimed Property Audit

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On August 16, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware granted Kelmar’s and Delaware’s motions to dismiss in Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., v. Cook, et al.[1]  The court determined that the Plaintiff (1) lacked standing to sue Kelmar, (2) had not demonstrated ripeness of declaratory relief against Delaware for any of its claims, except equal protection, and (3) failed to state a cause of action regarding its equal protection claim. Background In 2014, Delaware, through its third-party auditor, Kelmar, initiated an unclaimed property audit of Plains All American [...]Read more

State-vs.-State Unclaimed Property Dispute May be Heading to the Supreme Court

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In March, we issued an advisory highlighting a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department against the State of Delaware in federal district court seeking to recover uncashed official checks escheated to Delaware by MoneyGram.  (http://www.alston.com/advisories/money-gram/).  Essentially, the dispute centers upon whether MoneyGram's official checks were subject to the Federal Disposition Act, in which case they would have been reportable to the state(s) in which they were issued rather than Delaware, the state of MoneyGram's domicile.  In our prior advisory, we pointed out that [...]Read more

Delaware Governor Signs Unclaimed Property Overhaul Into Law

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On July 22, 2015, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed into law a significant piece of unclaimed property reform legislation, S.B. 141.  Alston & Bird issued an advisory on June 23 analyzing the changes brought about by the bill.  Our advisory is available here: www.alston.com/advisories/serious-property-reform. To summarize, S.B. 141 will do the following: Make permanent the Secretary of State's voluntary disclosure program. Require the Department of Finance to provide holders with the opportunity to enter into the Secretary of State's VDA program before being subjected to [...]Read more