You would think that banks are the epitome of electronic records management. With most people using their computers and smart phones to do their banking, it seems like hardly anyone goes into a branch to do their banking. So where would banks get paper? These are some of the banking areas that are still paper-driven:
- Time sheets
- Cash and teller audits and shipments
- ATM cash sheets
- Precious metals audits
- Branch settlements
- Real estate loan files
- Duplicate copies from scanned files
- Paper checks
While these document types all have proper retention and destruction dates, not all banks adhere to them. This means that in most central and bank branches, there are boxes of paper lurking around. Whether they are forgotten or simply not prioritized, the boxes add up and can pose several problems for the bank.
One problem is the risk associated with unauthorized people gaining access to the information. Another major problem is environmental concerns since most basements or storage areas lack the proper temperature and humidity controls needed to keep paper long-term. Another risk factor is neglect. Managers change positions and the records can be neglected unless someone takes the initiative to keep track of the records
Mergers and acquisitions also present challenges. One bank acquires another and eventually realizes it has paper records lying around. The bank must review these records – and the electronic records as well – to determine records retention requirements and their subsequent destruction.
A bank will not tell you it has a paper problem. The easy answer to their problem is to have a robust retention and destruction program for both paper and electronic records. However, there will inevitably be paper records, that for one reason or another, the bank will need to retain for a longer period than they want to retain the documents in paper form. For these records, the bank should be scanning them into an electronic image, performing a quality control step to ensure all the data was captured, and then shredding the paper records. This comes at a cost, but the advantages far outweigh the money spent.
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