Since 1997 the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) has advocated on behalf of Holocaust victims and their heirs, seeking the just and orderly return of assets to their original owners. In fulfilling this mission, as of December 31, 2020, the HCPO has facilitated the restitution of over $181 million in bank accounts, insurance policies, and other material losses and the resolution of cases involving more than 179 works of art.

The HCPO works as a bridge between claimants and the various international compensation organizations and/or the current holder(s) of the asset be it a bank account, insurance policy or artwork. Claimants pay no fee for the HCPO’s services, nor does the HCPO take a percentage of the value of the assets recovered. Our goal is to advocate for claimants by helping to alleviate any cost and bureaucratic hardships they might encounter in trying to pursue claims on their own.

We provide institutional assistance to individuals seeking to recover:

• Assets deposited in banks.
• Monies that insurance companies failed to pay policy beneficiaries.
• Artwork that was lost, stolen, or sold under duress between 1933 and 1945.

In response to the complex nature of restitution claims, which range from the purely anecdotal to partially or even fully documented, the HCPO has a systematic method to handle cases. After assessing the viability of a claim, the HCPO strives to document the prewar ownership, wartime loss and a claimant’s postwar entitlement to an asset, this being a major hurdle faced by all parties in the restitution process. To accomplish this task, HCPO staff members undertake three types of research: (1) genealogical; (2) archival research for prewar, wartime, and postwar records; and (3) the search for the missing objects, provenance research being one component of this effort.

• The Art Claims Process
• International Claims Resources
• The International Claims Process

Once all of the HCPO’s research is complete, and the missing asset has been located, our role changes from that of detective to advocate and facilitator. At this stage the HCPO submits claim information to the appropriate companies, authorities, museums, or organizations with the request that a complete and thorough search be made. By sharing all supporting documentation and through open and amicable discussion the HCPO facilitates cooperation between parties. Our successes repeatedly demonstrate that candid dialogue between parties can lead to the mutually beneficial resolution of these disputes.

The continued success of the HCPO’s work demonstrates that the non-litigious and fair resolution of Holocaust-era asset claims is possible.

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The efforts of the Department of Financial Services to recover dormant or seized deposited assets (accounts or safe deposit boxes) of Holocaust victims grew out of an investigation into the wartime activities of the Swiss Bank Corporation(SBC), Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), and Credit Suisse’s New York Agencies. The goal of the investigation was to identify all the accounts held by those banks and determine to what extent assets held there belonged to victims of the Holocaust. Information uncovered was ultimately integrated into the work of the International Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) in Switzerland.

Not only did the investigation uncover dormant assets but it highlighted the need for an agency to assist claimants with unresolved claims against Swiss financial institutions, and so in 1997 the HCPO was established. Before the August 1998 announcement of the Global Settlement in the Holocaust Victims Assets Litigation case (United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Chief Judge Edward R. Korman Presiding (CV-96-4849)), the HCPO worked in close cooperation with the Swiss banks, enabling payment of dormant accounts of the heirs of Holocaust victims.

The HCPO’s efforts, however, did not stop with Swiss financial assets. In the late 1990s the ever increasing number of class action law suits, settlement negotiations, investigative commissions, and the creation of compensation organizations related to European financial institutions during the Holocaust, resulted in the HCPO receiving claims for assets deposited in Austria, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Shortly after the HCPO commenced operations, it became apparent that claimants also needed help with other types of claims, most notably insurance claims.

In September of 1997, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) established a Holocaust Insurance Issues Working Group to examine the issue and to make a recommendation as to the appropriate role for the NAIC and state insurance departments. Early in 1998, the New York Insurance Department, the California Department, four European insurance companies, as well as the World Jewish Restitution Organization, the World Jewish Congress and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, entered into a Memorandum of Intent that set out criteria for the resolution of unpaid insurance claims.

Immediately following, the NAIC established the International Holocaust Commission Task Force (NAIC Task Force) to succeed the NAIC Working Group. The New York Insurance Department assumed a leadership position in negotiations which resulted in the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by various European insurance companies and the members of the NAIC Task Force. The MoU established the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) which was charged with investigating and resolving unpaid insurance claims of Holocaust victims, survivors and their heirs.

As one of the original members of ICHEIC, the New York Insurance Department, through the HCPO, was integral to New York’s and the NAIC’s participation in developing ICHEIC’s claim investigation and resolution process.

On March 30, 2007 the ICHEIC officially closed. At ICHEIC’s concluding meetings, every company that was a member of the commission as well as companies of the German Insurance Association, through its partnership agreement with ICHEIC and the Sjoa Foundation reaffirmed their commitment to continue to review and process claims sent directly to them.

Since ICHEIC closed, the HCPO resumed dealing with insurance companies directly to resolve outstanding claims.

The Nazi use of art was directly linked to their efforts to seize power, conquer Europe and fulfill their anti-Semitic agenda; indeed the Nazi’s turned looting into an official policy. From 1933 to 1945 the Nazi regime carried out the greatest spoliation of works of art in history Nazi plundering, ranging from out-right seizure to sales made under duress.

The extension of the HCPO’s mission in 1998 to include claims for art looted during the World War II era was a natural outgrowth of the HCPO mandate as some bank claims pertain to art stored in safe deposit boxes; similarly, a portion of insurance claims relate to insured art objects stolen during World War II. By accepting art claims, the HCPO has been able to address such banking and insurance claims in their entirety and simplify the claims process for potential claimants.

The HCPO assists claimants recover missing artworks, irrespective of the object’s market value. Most of the artworks sought by HCPO claimants are of modest value. Many claimants seek the return of items that may be of great emotional and/or spiritual meaning to them, but of low monetary worth or historical significance. After all, Nazi spoliation was not limited to museum quality pieces but included works by lesser-known artists, decorative arts, and Judaica.

Unlike claims for financial assets such as bank accounts or insurance policies, claims for Holocaust-era looted art do not lend themselves to wholesale, centralized settlements. Instead, given the individualized nature of these cases, they require working with a variety of entities, from museums to private collectors, and must be resolved on a painting-by-painting or object-by-object basis.

Bank Fee Waiver Program for Holocaust Reparation Payments

The New York State Department of Financial Services is leading the effort to assist Holocaust survivors and their families obtain waivers for wire transfer or processing fees associated with Holocaust reparations payments.

Although a small number of banks agreed to waive these fees in the past, those account for less than 5% of New York State’s financial institutions. There is currently no reliable list of institutions that committed to waive these fees nor do victims know how to obtain the waiver.

Holocaust victims and their heirs seeking assistance obtaining a fee waiver from their financial institution should complete the form available here and submit it to the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) at [email protected] or contact the HCPO at 1-800- 695-3318. The HCPO is a unit of the Consumer Protection and Financial Enforcement Division of the New York State Department of Financial Services.

As of December 24, 2021, the following financial institutions have agreed to waive fees for wire transfers related to Holocaust reparation payments.

Anyone with reason to believe that assets – bank accounts, insurance policies, and/or works of art – belonging to them or to a relative currently remain dormant, unpaid, or lost as result of Nazi persecution may submit a claim to the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO). Though deadlines for submitting claims to most compensation programs have long since lapsed, it may still be possible to lodge claims with the remaining open processes and/or directly with an institution.

To submit an online inquiry please fill out the Online Inquiry form.

You may also reach the office by:

Telephone and Fax

U.S. Toll Free: (800) 695-3318

From outside the United States: (212) 709-5583

Fax: (212) 709-5407

Office hours are Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Please leave a message when calling at other times.

Email: [email protected]

Mailing Address

Holocaust Claims Processing Office
New York State Department of Financial Services
One State Street
New York, NY 10004-1511

Submit an online Inquiry