The State of Connecticut is currently holding over $800 million in unclaimed funds!

There are over 1.5 million people in Connecticut owed unclaimed money.

In Connecticut, money is usually turned over to the state from companies that have been holding onto it for three to five years with no action or contact from the owner.

Unclaimed money can include, but is not limited to:

• Savings accounts
• Checking accounts
• uncashed checks
• utility deposits
• stocks and bonds
• mutual funds
• life insurance policies
• travelers checks
• money orders

The list of assets that go unclaimed can go on and on and so can the many reasons for the assets becoming unclaimed in the first place including:

• Leaving a job without claiming a final paycheck
• Not claiming or knowing about a health insurance check
• Not getting a utility deposit back from a house or apartment
• Not knowing about a bank account in your name

The list goes on and on.

In Connecticut, there is no time limit to collect your unclaimed funds.

The State gets involved because Connecticut law requires the holders of unclaimed funds such as banks, credit unions, insurance companies, utilities and businesses, to report and remit those assets annually to the Office of the Treasurer, which safeguards the property until the rightful owner comes forward and claims it.  The owners or heirs have a single source – the State of Connecticut – where they can locate unclaimed funds.

In 2012, Connecticut returned $83 million to its rightful owners. They also collected $73 million in new unclaimed money, so it was a net of $10 million returned.  On October 25, 2018 the state Treasurer published a new list with approximately 53,000 new names of individuals, businesses, organizations and non-profits who have unclaimed money since the last publication in 2016.

So, you need to continue to check the list every year as new names and businesses are constantly being added.

If you would like to search for your own unclaimed money in Connecticut, you can go to http://www.ctbiglist.com/

You can contact the state here:

State of Connecticut, Office of the State Treasurer
P.O. Box 5065
Hartford, CT 06102

1-800-833-7318

Did you know that there is a little known business where you can actually get paid to find unclaimed money for other people?

Unclaimed money finders search for people that have money being held for them and help them claim it. In return they charge a fee for their service, which is a percentage of the amount that they have recovered. It’s a very easy business that not too many people know about.

 

If you would like to learn more about it, please click here.

 

New Jersey is currently holding over $4 billion in unclaimed funds!

The Unclaimed Property Administration (UPA) recovers and records abandoned or lost intangible and tangible property.

The UPA’s goal is to return this property to the rightful owner and/or heirs. NJ Unclaimed Property Statute states that property owners never relinquish the right to this property and that the UPA acts as a custodian until the property is returned.

Unclaimed property consists of many types of intangible and tangible properties that have remained unclaimed by its rightful owner for a specific period of time. The abandonment period for each type of property is defined by New Jersey’s Unclaimed Property Statute.


Unclaimed Property statutes were established to protect property owners from businesses, banks, and other financial institutions taking ownership of stale property in the owner’s name.

It is common that in the normal course of business that individuals or businesses lose track of either checks that were issued to them or bank holdings. State Unclaimed Property laws define abandonment periods for these different types of property. Once property reaches the defined abandonment period with no activity the Holder of this property will turn the property over to the State.

After property is escheated to the State the reported property owner never relinquishes ownership. If property is not claimed it remains in the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund in perpetuity or until a valid claim is submitted and processed.

The UPA has an Outreach section whose entire purpose is reuniting abandoned property with their owners through various outreach initiatives. These initiatives include mass mailings, media campaigns, and their presence at state fairs, community centers, and other public locations throughout the year. The UPA also advertises newly abandoned property in newspapers throughout the state twice a year and subscribes a searchable web application that accepts online claim submissions,

A search can be completed by going to the web page missingmoney.com and following the instructions for locating property.

If the property you located on missingmoney.com lists an address that was a previous residence of yours then it is likely property belonging to you. If the address listed is not one of your previous addresses then it does not belong to you. When submitting a claim on property that was a previous address you will be required to provide proof you resided at the address.

If you submitted an electronic claim through missingmoney.com nothing further is needed at this time. Upon the UPA’s review of your claim, you will be sent a claim packet which details the unclaimed property being held as well as a request for documentation to establish ownership/identity. Please read the packet carefully, fill out completely, and follow any instructions that are provided.

The only way to learn the property(s) value is to formally file a claim on the property(s). When the UPA reviews the claim submission and determines that it is valid, a claim packet will be issued to the claimant. The packet will include all the property(s) details including dollar value and origin.

After a claim is submitted to the Unclaimed Property Administration (UPA), the UPA issues a claim packet detailing the property you’re attempting to claim. Proving ownership can be established by providing our office with the detailed documentation that is requested in your claim packet.

Interest is calculated starting from the date the property was escheated to the Unclaimed Property Administration (UPA) and ending on the date the UPA approves the return of the property to the rightful owner(s).

Did you know you can make money finding unclaimed money for other people?

There is a little known business that lets you do that. Unclaimed money finders locate people that don’t know they money being held for them and help them to recover it.

In return, they charge a commission after the money is recovered.

Please click here if you would like to learn more about this business.

Iowa is holding over $250 million in unclaimed money!

Unclaimed property can be any financial asset that has been abandoned by its owner for a period of time specified by law.

Common types of unclaimed property include:

• dormant bank accounts
• utility refunds
• uncashed checks
• unclaimed wages
• safe-deposit boxes
• insurance dividends
• stock certificates and dividends

Money can become unclaimed for a variety of reasons including:

• People moving and simply forgeting about an account or deposit.
• People getting a check, placing it in a drawer (something they will take care of later) and forgetting.
• When people die, relatives are often unaware of an old bank account, lock box or a stock the deceased may have owned.
• People divorcing, moving, perhaps remarrying and forgetting to notify everyone.
• A clerical error at a company; perhaps the name or street is displaced or altered by a honest mistake causing mail to be returned as nondeliverable to the company.

The State Treasurer’s office maintains custody until the rightful owner or his or her heirs claims the money.   At no time is an owner (or legal heirs) barred from claiming unclaimed property.

Iowa takes tries to contact the rightful owners of unclaimed funds in several ways including:

• First class mailings
• Publication of the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt
• Listings displayed at the State Fair, Clay County Fair, and the Cattle Congress
• TV special segments for the news
• Public Service Announcements
• Radio spots

If you would like to search for yourself, please go to the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt.

You can contact the Iowa Unclaimed Funds department at:

Mail:

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt
Lucas State Office Building
321 E 12th St., 1st Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319

Telephone:  515.281.5367

Email:  FoundIt@tos.iowa.gov

Did you know you can make money finding unclaimed money for other people?

There is a little known business that lets you do that. Unclaimed money finders locate people that don’t know they money being held for them and help them to recover it.

In return, they charge a commission after the money is recovered.

Please click here   if you would like to learn more about this business.