Unclaimed Property by US States

Find or release unclaimed property in the USA using state-based resources
By R.N. Dolgener, Special Education Teacher There is so much unclaimed property in the U.S., it has become big business for private companies to reunite people with property and money they lost track of long ago. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1965 that the state in which the property owner last lived will hold the unclaimed property.

If you're a business owner in possession of an unclaimed account, your state will determine how you should relinquish those funds to the appropriate agency. If you think you may have unclaimed property in the United States, you'll need documentation to prove your identity and to prove the validity of your claim:

1. Verify your identity with a copy of state-issued photo identification, such as a driver's license and a copy of your Social Security Card or other proof of your Social Security Number.

2. Claim accounts or property for others with the proper legal documentation: affidavits of heirship or probated wills, powers of attorney or birth certificates when claiming for your minor child.

3. Provide proof of ownership or affiliation with the company that turned the property over to the state for unclaimed land in the U.S., or any real property or money accounts.

Find unclaimed property by US states using official state agency websites

If you think you may have unclaimed property in the US, search using your name, company name and any common misspellings. There's no single website for nationwide unclaimed property searches, so you'll need to search within the state government-sponsored site for each state in which you've lived or your company has operated. Unclaimed property usually falls under the jurisdiction of each state's treasury department.
Try:  Search for unclaimed property by US state using the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators website or the NAUPA affiliate Missing Money.com. Missing Money provides access to every state, which facilitates searching for unclaimed property in adjoining states and nation-wide. Each website link provides access to individual state agencies and their ownership search database.

Lay claim to forgotten accounts, property and unclaimed land in the US for a fee

You'll find most real assets and unclaimed land in the United States listings along with unclaimed money or other real property in the state-by-state databases. But, if you suspect you or an ancestor have US unclaimed land or other specific assets such as Social Security or IRS refunds, perform the property-specific searches available at fee-based websites. Just read all the fine print to make sure you're not giving your contact information to sites that will sell listings to marketers. Remember that if you are willing to spend some time online, you can usually find your own unclaimed property on your own.
Try:  Find unclaimed land in the U.S., unclaimed life insurance policies and a variety of other funds using Unclaimed Assets.com, or perform a consolidated search through US Unclaimed. Some searches require a fee prior to searching, but if you're certain you'll find a legitimate claim, it may be worth paying a fee to find it. Some companies with an Internet presence offer free searches, but you have to pay to get details of the search results.

Relinquish unclaimed property in the US with professional help

Most abandoned property in the United States is in the form of forgotten bank accounts, overpaid loans or utilities and unclaimed insurance policies. If you find your company in possession of property or money and you can't find the owner, consult your state's requirements for turning over assets to government holding agencies, or hire a company to take care of escheatment accounts for you.
Try:  Hire Abandoned Property Services or Abandoned Property Specialists to handle state reporting requirements and keep your company in compliance.

• There is no central clearinghouse for unclaimed properties in the United States, so be careful when using private companies for your searches. Before you fork over up to 10% of the value of your property to private search firms, use free searches offered by individual states to find your property.