Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to determine whether County officials have established appropriate controls to safeguard and account for court and trust funds for the period January 1, 2013 through January 1, 2014.

Background

County officials are responsible for safeguarding court and trust funds in their care. Pursuant to a court order, certain assets may be provided to the court and then delivered to the County Treasurer for safekeeping, such as surplus moneys from foreclosures. Also, in certain circumstances, funds from estates are entrusted to the Treasurer for safekeeping by order of the Surrogate’s Court.

Key Finding

• We identified $66,637 in funds that have not been turned over to the State Comptroller as abandoned property, even though the funds have been in the custody of the Treasurer for more than three years.

Key Recommendation

• Ensure that all moneys deemed abandoned property are paid to the State Comptroller in a timely manner.