Signed bank statement PDF: preserve the original before OCR

For a digitally signed bank statement, preserve the original bytes and signature-validation record before making an OCR workcopy. A derivative with searchable text is a different file; do not present it as the unchanged signed original or assume a content hash establishes the signer’s identity.

Official reference.

Record validation on the original

1. Open the retained original in Acrobat desktop, keeping its byte identity separate from any working copy.
2. Use Signatures → Options → Validate Signatures; Adobe documents this validation route.
3. Record which signature was inspected, its actual status, certificate and timestamp details.
4. Distinguish the signer’s computer-clock time from a trusted timestamp. A hash identifies bytes, not legal validity or trustworthy identity.

If validation is unknown or fails, retain that outcome. Do not lower trust settings simply to obtain a green result, remove somebody else’s signature or bypass document restrictions. Locked or multiply signed documents can require an unsigned source supplied through an authorized channel. Adobe’s signed-PDF limitations explain the signed-document restrictions; its signature-validation guide distinguishes validation and timestamp evidence.

Separate working and evidentiary files

When permitted, create a separately named working copy for extraction or OCR and retain its relationship to the original. Keep validation details associated with the original’s hash, not copied as a claim about the derivative. Recheck any resulting signature status separately if needed; no editing operation is promised to preserve signature validity.

The fixture uses these actual SHA256 hashes of two explicitly fictional byte strings. No signature is present in those teaching bytes:

The two different hashes establish different byte strings in this case, not who signed either file. The retained original record also sets trusted timestamp to false; it cannot support a claim of trusted signing time.

The synthetic provenance exercise gives different hashes to an original and an illustrative OCR derivative. The recorded original status is not automatically attached to the derivative. An untrusted signer-clock timestamp remains distinct from an independently trusted timestamp. These checks examine fictional provenance records, not real digital signatures or Acrobat validation.

For page-level OCR problems, consult the scanned-statement guide after securing the original. If permission, source identity or validation evidence is unresolved, stop the derivative workflow and request an appropriate source rather than modifying the evidence to look acceptable.

Related task.

For a PDF-only bank source, download LocalExtract. It processes one PDF locally to date,description,amount CSV; it does not access platform accounts or synchronize accounting records.

Official sources and scope

Documentation checked October 16, 2026. Official reference 1 — adobe-signatures · Official reference 2 — adobe-signed-current