From the casebook

Notes on notable escheatments

Field notes from our research desk on the American cases that shaped how crypto enters — and can be recovered from — state custody.

Case file No. 1 · Wyoming

The Coinbase Matter: how 200,000 accounts ended up with the State of Wyoming

Filed under: escheatment · exchange closures · international owners

How dormant Coinbase accounts came to be reported to a US state's unclaimed-property programme — and what former customers, especially abroad, can do about it.

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Case file No. 2 · Maine

The Kraken Files: a December settlement and a 120-day clock

Filed under: regulatory settlement · withdrawal windows

A regulatory settlement gave Kraken customers a narrow window to withdraw before dormancy rules took hold. What happened when the clock ran out.

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Case file No. 3 · New York

The Five-Year Rule: inside Abandoned Property Law §1319

Filed under: statute · liquidation model

New York legislated specifically for virtual currency in its abandoned-property law — and its rule contains a detail claimants often miss.

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Case file No. 4 · Delaware

The Incorporation Angle: why so many trails lead to Delaware

Filed under: corporate registry · priority rules

Delaware's importance to crypto escheatment has little to do with its residents — and everything to do with where crypto companies incorporate.

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Case file No. 5 · California

The Open Ledger: bulk data and a strict 10% rule

Filed under: public data · finder fee caps

California publishes more of its unclaimed-property data than most states — and polices finder fees more strictly than almost anyone.

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Case file No. 6 · South Dakota & Utah

Two Philosophies: sell it, or hold it?

Filed under: liquidation vs. custody

Placed side by side, South Dakota and Utah illustrate the fundamental fork every crypto escheatment case turns on: liquidate on receipt, or hold in kind.

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