51A-6A-30Retention of records--Promulgation of rules--Reproduction of records--Duty of confidentiality.

A trust company shall retain its business records in accordance with the provisions of this section. Each trust company shall retain permanently the minute books of meetings of its owners and governing board, its capital stock and ownership unit ledger and capital stock or ownership unit certificate ledger or stubs, its general ledger or the record kept in lieu of a general ledger, its daily statements of condition, and all records which the director shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section, require to be retained permanently. All other records of a trust company shall be retained for such periods as the commission prescribes. The commission shall promulgate rules pursuant to chapter 1-26 classifying all records kept by trust companies, prescribing the period for which records of each class shall be retained, and requiring a record of destruction of records as the commission deems advisable. The periods may be permanent or for a term of years. Before adoption, amendment, or revocation of the rules the commission shall consider:

(1)    Actions and administrative proceedings in which the production of trust company records might be necessary or desirable;

(2)    State and federal statutes of limitation applicable to such actions or proceedings;

(3)    The availability of information contained in trust company records from other sources; and

(4)    Any other matters as the commission considers pertinent to the interest of customers and owners of trust companies and of the people of this state having the records available.

Any trust company may destroy any record which has been retained for the period prescribed, in accordance with the terms of this section for retention of records of its class, and is, after it has destroyed a record, under no duty to produce the record.

Instead of retention of the original records, any trust company may cause any of its records in its custody, including those held by it as a fiduciary, to be photographed or otherwise reproduced to permanent form. Any photograph or reproduction has the same force and effect as the original and may be admitted in evidence equally with the original.

Any trust company may cause any transactions, information, and data occurring in the regular course of its operations to be recorded and maintained by electronic means. When the electronic records of the transactions, information, and data are converted to writing, the writings shall constitute the original records of the transactions, information, and data and have the force and effect of the original records.

Nothing in this section may be construed to affect any duty of a trust company to preserve the confidentiality of its records.

Source: SL 1995, ch 268, § 28.