How to Find and Recover Unclaimed Money Held by the Federal Government
Every year, the federal government makes millions of payments to individuals for many purposes, ranging from pension payouts, to bank account insurance payments. When the rightful recipient for a federal payment cannot be located, the money is held in special "unclaimed funds" accounts. You can search these accounts for federal funds held under your name, and can claim funds belonging to you, or to an estate under which you're entitled to payment.
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Instructions
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Search the "Missing Participants" list at the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency that handles millions of pension payments. If your name is on the list, call PBGC at 1-800-326-LOST to begin the process for claiming your unpaid pension funds.
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Search records of unclaimed funds at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to locate money owed from mortgage insurance refunds. If your name is listed, call HUD at 1-800-697-6967 and request a claim form.
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Search records at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a federal agency that regulates banks, for unclaimed funds from banks that have closed.
If you believe you're entitled to unclaimed funds, download the FDIC Claimant Verification form at the FDIC website (near the bottom of the search page), fill out the form, and return it to the address indicated to begin the claims process.
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Tips & Warnings
Visit MissingMoney.com to search for unclaimed funds held by state governments.
