What are the record retention requirements for e-mail? Is it best to save all e-mail for a certain period of time? The content of e-mail varies greatly and the majority doesn't require specific action. I would like to know how other banks are handling e-mail record retention.

Unless it demands a higher retention schedule due to the nature of the content, I hold it for 90 days.

Have I had to go back more than 45 or 60, not yet.

I know of no formal requirement and would recommend looking at your snail mail retention schedule and handling it that way.

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Andy Zavoina
Opinions stated are not necessarily that of my employer.

JaneC:

Many institutions have established an internal retention policy that reflects its value as evidence in both civil and criminal actions. This policy is based upon the state's "statute of limitations" -- or that period of time in which an action must be brought to trial. For example, most banking crimes that are:
. Misdemeanors are generally one (1) year from the date of commission (e.g., petty theft, DWI and small-dollar NSF checks);
. Felonies are generally three (3) years from the date of commission (e.g., burglary, robbery and grand theft); and
. Embezzlements are generally three (3) years from the date of discovery.

Five (5) years is a safe e-mail retention period.

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Dana Turner
Security Education Systems
danaturner@bankersonline.com
210-310-0212