Maria T. Vullo, Acting Superintendent of Financial Services, today announced that the Holocaust Claims Processing Office will receive the Outstanding Citizens Award from the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect on Tuesday, June 14, 2016.

"I congratulate the hard working, talented and dedicated members of the DFS Holocaust Claims Processing Office,” said Acting Superintendent Vullo. "DFS is committed to continuing the inspiring legacy of Anne Frank by assisting Holocaust victims and their heirs with asset restitution through DFS’s successful fair resolution policy."

The Spirit of Anne Frank Awards honors students, educators and citizens whose humanitarian efforts fight discrimination and inspire inclusion. Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect educates the nation to fight harder for Anne Frank’s dream: An inclusive world in which mutual respect replaces hatred and its consequences. The Center’s inspiring programs, tailored to youth and adults from every walk of life, train participants to recognize and stop prejudice even at its earliest stages.

"This year’s recipient of the Spirit of Anne Frank Outstanding Citizens Award, the DFS Holocaust Claims Processing Office, works tirelessly to correct the injustices of the past,” said Steven Goldstein, Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. “By advocating on behalf of Holocaust survivors and their loved ones in seeking the just return of assets stolen by the Nazis, they have aided in the recovery of priceless works of art, and helped restore our faith in humanity."

Established in 1997, the New York State Department of Financial Services Holocaust Claims Processing Office (“HCPO”) provides institutional assistance to individuals seeking to recover assets — bank accounts, insurance policies, and works of art — lost due to Nazi persecution between 1933 and 1945. The HCPO is the only government entity in the world that aids Holocaust victims and their heirs free of charge with a variety of multinational compensation processes.