How to Find Your Unclaimed Money
If your account with a company has been inactive for three years, the business must surrender any money in it to a state agency. The state will hold the money until you claim it. Each agency maintains records of unclaimed cash in a database that anyone can search for free. When you find money that belongs to you, follow the agency’s instructions to file a claim.
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Instructions
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Check for unclaimed money such as a balance from a utility company or life insurance benefits by using a website like MissingMoney.com. Find links to each state's unclaimed property program at Unclaimed.org. Such websites allow you to search every state's database at the same time.
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Find money due you from a failed financial institution by searching the records on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's website. This agency is responsible for unclaimed deposits and dividend checks from defunct banks and credit unions.
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Search for forgotten savings bonds with Treasury Hunt on the TreasuryDirect website. This database, which the U.S. Department of the Treasury provides, stores information for Series E savings bonds issued after 1973 and Series EE bonds issued after 1979. The database only returns results for savings bonds that have matured.
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Check the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's missing-participant database online to find a lost pension. This government agency gets the funds from unclaimed benefits when an employer ends a pension plan.
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Search for lost retirement benefits with the National Registry of Unclaimed Benefits. The search tool scans records held nationwide to find any 401(k)s from previous employers. You will need to provide your Social Security number for this search.
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