Unclaimed Money and Property
Welcome to UnclaimedMoney.org, your FREE source for information on the tens of Billions of unclaimed money and property being held today in state and federal accounts. In the coming days, weeks and months we will be adding more and more information on unclaimed funds and property. This site seeks to educate visitors about unclaimed money and how best to find online databases that may be holding your money. In addition you will learn strategies to protect existing assets from becoming unclaimed.
What is unclaimed money?
Unclaimed money (also referred to as unclaimed property and unclaimed funds) - are personal assets that, for a variety of reasons, have become separated from their owners. Some examples of unclaimed money may include:
Payroll checks
Certificates of deposit Checking accounts Savings accounts Insurance Polices Stocks Uncashed money orders
So who has the money? A good portion of all unclaimed money is held by individual states. New York, for instance, now holds close to $10 billion in unclaimed money in roughly as many as 23 million accounts. Pennsylvania has $1.5 billion and New Jersey is holding at least $1 billion as well. Smaller states such as Maine list lesser amounts - $131 million in 42,000 accounts. Each state has an office dedicated to unclaimed property and unclaimed money. The collection, management, and efforts to find rightful property owners is a business in and of itself. In general a state collects more unclaimed money than they give to fund owners through the course of one fiscal year. It takes a significant bureaucracy to enforce laws that govern the collection of unclaimed money and to devise and implement strategies to find rightful property owners. In New York as well as other states they boast that the amount of money returned is expanding. For example, in 2008 NY returned $194 million to property owners - a $25 million increase over money returned in 2007. Unclaimed money is a win win situation for all involved and there's money to be had for those on both sides, you just have to know where to look. This site is dedicated to helping you find missing funds.
Now this is interesting...
As of 2008 CNN reports states are holding as much as $33 billion in unclaimed financial assests.
The Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2009 would create a pilot program for the Department of the Treasury to return an estimated $16.5 billion in matured savings bond proceeds that remain unclaimed nationwide.