Public Records Free Directory Blog

A couple weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail stating that a company had been trying to reach me, and if I did not claim my check, it would be sent to an unclaimed property department. It was great getting a letter that there was an unclaimed check waiting for me. After all, who doesn’t need a little extra money, especially in this economy? Once I phoned the company, I was even more excited to find out that I was, in fact owed the money. After my newly acquired $92.07 check, I became intrigued by the concept of an unclaimed property department. If this vendor had not contacted me, I likely would not have known about the check. What if there more money or other property out there that actually belongs to me?

There are no guarantees that you will find unclaimed money in your name, but it’s definitely worth a look because you will not always be notified that you have unclaimed property waiting for you. For example, in California, before new legislation was passed in 2007, there were a lot of rules and regulations that prevented departments from notifying Californians of their unclaimed property. Unclaimed property is personal property including anything from payroll wages to money left in escrow and can be from banks, retailers, credit unions, utilities, corporations, insurance companies, and government agencies. Physical property such as real estate and vehicles are typically not included in the category of unclaimed property.

The process by which property becomes unclaimed property occurs after a business has been out of contact with you for an extended period of time (i.e. one year), and they contact the appropriate state agency to report that your property is unclaimed or abandoned. Once the property is within the possession of the state, it stays there, waiting for you to claim it. The state does not exercise ownership over the property. For most unclaimed property, there is no expiration date, so, you could have property in you name dating back several years. One exception to this rule is safety deposit boxes, which in Washington state, can be auctioned off after five years.

Many states, such as California, Texas, and Washington provide an online database whereby searches can easily be performed by name. Generally the unclaimed property record will show the name and address of the person to whom the property belongs, the name of the business who reported the property, a description of the type of property, and the value of the property. As such, when you are reviewing the records, you can be sure that it is actually you, and not some other John Smith, who can claim the property.

Unclaimed property is always managed by a state agency; however, the exact department responsible for unclaimed property will vary by state and can include a Department of Revenue, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, or an Unclaimed/Abandoned Property Division.

To find exactly where unclaimed property searches can be performed in your state, visit The Free Public Records Directory, which provides easy access links to unclaimed property departments in every state. The Free Public Records Directory can help you easily navigate through each state, which is useful because if you have lived in several states during your life you should be sure to check the unclaimed property records for all those states as well. Happy searching!