When imaging checks for deposit, organizations must consider 3 important factors:

• Secure storage of the physical checks
• Temporary retention of physical checks
• Secure check destruction

Check Storage 

When imaging checks for deposit organizations should retain the original paper items in a secure area with little employee traffic and no customer traffic. Access to the checks should be controlled and limited to only those individuals needing access. 

Check Retention (temporary)

When imaging checks for deposit it is recommended that organizations retain the original paper items for a period of at least 20 but not more than 90 calendar days after they have been posted to an organization’s account. The retention period should be determined based on the organization’s business needs. The retention period should provide sufficient time for research in case there is an issue with the image quality or if the original item is required for any other reason. During this time, the paper items should be stored in a secure place.

Check Destruction

It is best practice for organizations retaining imaged checks, that they securely and irretrievably destroy the original paper checks, once their retention period has been satisfied. A cross-cut or diamond shredder will assist in the destruction of the check information. Do not leave deposited items lying around and do not put deposited items in trash or recycling.