Did you know that billions of dollars of unclaimed money and other unclaimed property is being held by government agencies in the fifty United States?
For example, the State of California states that it is holding over $4.1 billion in unclaimed property. These assets have been turned over to the State for safekeeping by businesses and other organizations as required by law.
In addition, the State of Florida says it holds unclaimed accounts currently valued at more than $1 billion, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, safe deposit boxes and trust holdings.
What is Unclaimed Property?
Unclaimed property is any intangible asset that is held, issued or owing in the ordinary course of a holders business that
has remained unclaimed by the owner for a statutory period of time after it became payable or distributable.
Some examples of unclaimed assets are:
Inactive savings and checking accounts
Safe deposit box contents
Uncashed checks, money orders and gift certificates
Unclaimed wages
Stock shares, dividends and mutual funds
Bonds and interest
Utility deposits
Paid-up life insurance policies
Uncashed death benefits checks
Estates
Court ordered distributions
Deposits or payment for repair or purchase of goods or services
Credit checks or memos, or customer overpayments
Unidentified remittances, un-refunded overcharges
Unpaid claims, unpaid accounts payable or unpaid commissions
Credit balances-accounts receivable, checks written off, employees bond buying and profit sharing
Recovering Unclaimed Property
Each of the 50 United States has a procedure in place whereby owners of unclaimed money and other assets can search for and, if found, file a claim to recover their money or other asset.
There is no charge for either searching for or claiming unclaimed money or other unclaimed property in any State. You simply
visit the appropriate unclaimed property Website for the State where you wish to make your search.
Perform a Free Unclaimed Property Search
To start your unclaimed property search, I recommend you visit the “State Unclaimed Property” Website at
http://www.stateunclaimedproperty.com/ and use the menu on the left-hand side of their home page to select the State where you wish to perform your search.
You will be taken to a Webpage which explains the search process for that State. It also provides a direct link to that
State”s unclaimed property search form.
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