We have a Cashiers Check that will be escheated next year. The remitter is a customer of ours the payee is not. Since the check has not been cashed in 3 years we contacted the remitter to see the whereabouts of the check. He informed us that the payee has passed away. He is wanting us to put the funds back into his account that purchased the check. Can we do this or do we need to see if the deceased has an estate that the check could be held up in?

I would call your state escheat dept and see what they say. I'm sure the payee is the owner not the purchsaser.

If you can't find out anything about the estate, the easiest thing to do is escheat it if you can't get a contact address. Then whomever is over the estate can claim it through the escheat department of the applicable state.

We are working on our old outstanding cashiers checks. We have a cashiers check issued in 2007 that is still outstanding. According to our customer who purchased the check, the company that it is payable to is no longer in business (since 2008). He would like us to stop payment on the check and refund to him the proceeds. Since it is a cashiers check, what grounds do I have to do that? He does not have the original check so I can not just endorse it not used for purpose intended. Is there anything I can do for the customer?

If the cashier's check was delivered to the payee, the remitter no longer has a claim for reimbursement for the uncashed check. The remitter has probably already received the benefit of the check, so getting a refund would be like double-dipping.

...in the fullness of time, your state has a claim to the cashiers check as abandoned property. The remitter does not.

Regardless, I would not rely on the remitter's assurances that the company has ceased to exist. If he thinks you can stop payment on a cashiers check he is definitely not a good source of advice.