69-1317. Abandoned property; Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund; record; professional finder's fee; information withheld; when; transfers; Unclaimed Property Cash Fund; created; investment.

(a)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, all funds received under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, including the proceeds from the sale of abandoned property under section 69-1316, shall be deposited by the State Treasurer into the Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund from which he or she shall make prompt payment of claims allowed pursuant to the act and payment of any expenses related to unclaimed property. All funds received under section 69-1307.05 shall be deposited by the State Treasurer into the Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund from which he or she shall make prompt payment of claims regarding such funds allowed pursuant to the act. Transfers from the Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund to the General Fund may be made at the direction of the Legislature. Before making the deposit he or she shall record the name and last-known address of each person appearing from the holders' reports to be entitled to the abandoned property, the name and last-known address of each insured person or annuitant, and with respect to each policy or contract listed in the report of a life insurance corporation, its number, the name of the corporation, and the amount due. The record shall be available for public inspection during business hours. The separate life insurance corporation demutualization trust fund terminates on March 13, 2019, and the State Treasurer shall transfer any money in the fund on such date to the Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund.

The record shall not be subject to public inspection or available for copying, reproduction, or scrutiny by commercial or professional locators of property presumed abandoned who charge any service or finders' fee until twenty-four months after the names from the holders' reports have been published or officially disclosed. Records concerning the social security number, date of birth, and last-known address of an owner shall be treated as confidential and subject to the same confidentiality as tax return information held by the Department of Revenue, except that the Auditor of Public Accounts shall have unrestricted access to such records.

A professional finders' fee shall be limited to ten percent of the total dollar amount of the property presumed abandoned. To claim any such fee, the finder shall disclose to the owner the nature, location, and value of the property, provide notice of when such property was reported to the State Treasurer, and provide notice that the property may be claimed by the owner from the State Treasurer free of charge. To claim any such fee if the property has not yet been abandoned, the finder shall disclose to the owner the nature, location, and value of the property, provide notice of when such property will be reported to the State Treasurer, if known, and provide notice that, upon receipt of the property by the State Treasurer, such property may be claimed by the owner from the State Treasurer free of charge.

(2) The unclaimed property records of the State Treasurer, the unclaimed property reports of holders, and the information derived by an unclaimed property examination or audit of the records of a person or otherwise obtained by or communicated to the State Treasurer may be withheld from the public. Any record or information that may be withheld under the laws of this state or of the United States when in the possession of such a person may be withheld when revealed or delivered to the State Treasurer. Any record or information that is withheld under any law of another state when in the possession of that other state may be withheld when revealed or delivered by the other state to the State Treasurer.

Information withheld from the general public concerning any aspect of unclaimed property shall only be disclosed to an apparent owner of the property or to the escheat, unclaimed, or abandoned property administrators or officials of another state if that other state accords substantially reciprocal privileges to the State Treasurer.

(b) On or before November 1 of each year, the State Treasurer shall distribute any balance in excess of one million dollars from the Unclaimed Property Escheat Trust Fund to the permanent school fund.

(c) Before making any deposit to the credit of the permanent school fund or the General Fund, the State Treasurer may deduct any costs related to unclaimed property and place such funds in the Unclaimed Property Cash Fund which is hereby created. Transfers from the fund to the General Fund may be made at the direction of the Legislature. Any money in the Unclaimed Property Cash Fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

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