How to Do a Free Unclaimed Money Search

Cash that could be looking for a rightful owner

A free unclaimed money search may yield money or property you'd long forgotten -- from rental deposits to insurance policy accounts to inheritances that never found you. While most people won't find a small fortune waiting in their name, you might come up with a few hundred dollars between neglected bank accounts, charge account balances and the like.

Instructions

1. Find out the state agency legally responsible for holding and releasing unclaimed property and assets in your locale. This may be the State Treasurer in the case of North Carolina, or the State Comptroller in Texas. It's sometimes the State Controller, as in California. In Pennsylvania, unclaimed money is held by the Pennsylvania Treasury.

   It is important to find the government entity that holds the citizens' forgotten property to avoid paying fees to a third party to reclaim your money.

2. Search the online database for property or unclaimed money being held in your name or that of family members. If there is no online search available in your state, contact the agency by phone to inquire about doing a search for your name within the state.

3. Browse all potential matches to see if the funds they represent could be legally yours. Some unclaimed money searches provide the street address where the person lived at the time, but most are simply the first and last name.

4. Start an inquiry to claim the money or property held in your name. You may need to print out and fill in certain claim forms provided by your state, but sometimes you can start the process online. Be sure to include all information requested, including proof of identity if requested, when making a claim.

5. Follow up on your unclaimed money search and the claim process, keeping track of the case number or other data provided to you by the website. Often, you need to be proactive in order to ensure that your funds are released to you.

Tips & Warnings

• Search for unclaimed money under all variations of your name, including maiden name, nickname or alias.

• Don't delay when you find money in your name. If the legal statute of limitations (ie, deadline) passes, your rights to it will terminate and it will become state property.

References

• Naupa