Record $125 Million Returned By NJ Unclaimed Property
August 2, 2014
Governor Christie’s administration announced a record $125.1 million was returned to 70,762 claimants in physical year 2014.
The total amount returned to owners recently passed $1 Billion for the program’s history.
The largest claims for 2014 included:
• $1.3 million received by a Hudson County family
• $553,000 received by a Passaic County man
• $424,000 received by an Ocean County man
• $377,000 received by a Bergen County woman
New Jersey’s online database is here: New Jersey Unclaimed Property
As of June 2, 2017, the "Connecticut Big Li$t" shows 1,413,688 state residents and businesses have unclaimed property worth over $779 million dollars. Eleven of those are due to claim funds worth over $500,000 each. Forty nine names on the list are due $250,000 to $500,000. At the low end of the list, over one million names are due to collect amounts between $50 and $500 while more than one hundred thirty thousand people are owed from $500 and $5,000. To search for your share of Connecticut missing money go to https://www.ctbiglist.com/index.asp
Ever wonder what happens to unclaimed property from safe deposit boxes? Alabama Treasurer offers collector items including coins, confederate currency, and jewelry at online auction. Go to https://www.lsoauctions.com/category.cfm?sellerid=927935315&catid=927935315
The treasurer says Massachusetts residents are getting letters in the mail saying you have “unclaimed property winnings” and asking you if you want help claiming it. Those letters are illegitimate. Actual letters from the treasurer’s office will be mailed from Boston with a return address. They will direct residents to an official mass.gov website and they will have the official seal of Massachusetts along with the signature of the Treasurer. If you do have any unclaimed property you don’t need someone to claim it for you. Just go to the states’ website and search for yourself or family members.
State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald said, “New names will be published in upcoming weeks that have been added to the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt,I encourage everyone to search for their name in the paper. You may also search for your name by visiting greatiowatreasurehunt.com . Checking the paper or visiting us online is well worth the short time it takes.” $74,478,325 of unclaimed funds was returned to Ohio residents in 2014.
One visitor to the Maryland State Fair discovered an unexpected windfall of $71,516. The Sate of Maryland is very proactive and searches for owners of unclaimed funds by advertising in local newspapers and matching files with state income tax information, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. Maryland’s unclaimed property database can be found at comptroller.marylandtaxes.com
Delaware Unclaimed Property Department says postcards stamped Unclaimed Property Notification are not sent by Delaware or any other state government. The cards are post marked in Denver, Colorado and instruct receivers to call a toll-free number where personal identification information is requested. You can read Delaware’s news release here: Delaware News Release
According to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, one in four Texans has unclaimed property from forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, security deposits and utility refunds. Texas currently holds over $3 Billion in property that has not been claimed. In 2013, the state returned more than $180 million to its owners. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Back in March, Yahoo Finance published this list of the top 10 states holding the highest values in unpaid unclaimed property claims. This information was based on a 2012 survey and the numbers have increased. New York, for example, is now reporting $13 billion in it’s database. Read the article here: Yahoo Finance New York: $12 billion California: $6.1 billion Texas: $2.2 billion Pennsylvania: $1.9 billion Michigan: $1.55 billion Ohio: $1.53 billion Illinois: $1.5 billion Florida: $1.2 billion North Carolina: $1.14 billion Virginia: $1.1 billion