ACCOUNTS OUTSIDE OF THE CENTRALIZED STATE TREASURY SYSTEM - 8002
Agencies/Departments may be authorized either by statute or by approval from the Department of Finance, Fiscal Systems and Consulting Unit (FSCU) to maintain bank, savings and loan association, or credit union accounts outside the centralized State Treasury System (CTS). For information on bank accounts, see SAM Section 19462. For information on savings and loan association and credit union accounts, see SAM Section 19463. Agencies/Departments are encouraged to establish the account outside the CTS with one of the State Treasurer’s Office (STO) approved depository banks. For a list of approved depositories, see SAM Section 8031.
Agencies/Departments without statutory authority must submit a written request to FSCU for approval of an account outside the CTS. All requests shall include the following information:
- Justification for the need to open an account outside the CTS.
- The name and location of the proposed bank, savings and loan association, or credit union.
- The agency/department’s legal name and the official designation of the account.
- Indicate if the bank, savings and loan association, or credit union is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration.
- Other details:
- The amount, source, and purpose of the funds to be deposited.
- The type of account (e.g., savings, checking, Zero Balance Account [ZBA]*, certificate of deposit, investment).
- Date the account is needed, length of deposit, fees associated with the account, and the interest rate to be received.
- The provisions for the withdrawal of funds.
* A ZBA is a type of account held outside the CTS in which a balance of zero is maintained by automatically transferring funds into the CTS daily. No other withdrawal of funds or disbursements will be made from the ZBA.
Agencies/Departments must submit a new request for approval for an account maintained outside the CTS if any of the conditions of the FSCU approval have changed, such as purpose or banking information. However, for ZBAs, Finance approval is not required for a change in depository banks when all of the following conditions are met:
- The change in depository bank is one of the approved banks listed in SAM Section 8031.
- The ZBA was previously approved by FSCU.
- No other changes are made to the account(s).
FSCU will notify the State Controller’s Office, State Accounting and Reporting Division, and the STO in writing of each new account approved and/or amended.
Agencies/Departments will obtain signature cards from banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions. FSCU approval of signature cards is not required. It is the agency/department’s responsibility to ensure that adequate safeguards are taken to prevent improper or unauthorized use of facsimile signatures. For details on check signing machines, see SAM Section 8081 and for facsimile signatures, see SAM Section 8082.
Agencies/Departments shall ensure that deposited funds are collateralized throughout the year in accordance with the following Government Code (GC) sections:
Bank Accounts
GC section 16520 – Security is not required for that portion of deposited funds insured under any law of the United States.
GC section 16521 – Requires banks to deposit securities as collateral with the State Treasurer valued at least 110 percent of the uninsured portion of the collected funds deposited with the banks. Pursuant to GC section 16522, letters of credit shall at all times be an amount in value of at least 100 percent of the amount deposited with the bank.
GC section 16522 – Specifies the types of securities that banks may deposit as collateral with the State Treasurer.
Savings and Loan Association and Credit Union Accounts
GC section 16610 – Security is not required for that portion of deposited funds insured under any law of the United States.
GC section 16611 – Requires savings and loan associations and credit unions to deposit securities as collateral with the State Treasurer valued at least 110 percent of the uninsured portion of the collected funds deposited with the savings and loan association and credit unions.
GC section 16612 – Specifies the types of securities that savings and loan associations and credit unions may deposit as collateral with the State Treasurer.
To provide collateral as required by law, agencies/departments must inform financial institutions that the funds in the account are state funds. Additionally, any deposit balances exceeding the insured amount must be secured with collateral. For additional information regarding security and collateral requirements, contact the STO, Centralized Treasury and Securities Management Division, Collateral Management Section at Collateral@treasurer.ca.gov.