(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed money program takes in roughly three hundred million dollars every year. What’s it to you? Well, if you or anyone you know is or has been a resident of the Golden State (or had any kind of business dealings, whether you were aware of it or not), a chunk of that big pile of Cali unclaimed money could easily belong to you!

Under the CA unclaimed property law, lost money such as forgotten checking and savings accounts, uncashed checks and money orders, mineral deposits, salary checks, cash and stock dividends, state of California unclaimed tax refunds, gift certificates, and other assets are turned over to the Treasury Dept. if the rightful owners don’t come for them within a given period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in Cali it’s 3 years. These lost assets then get moved to the CA unclaimed property division, where they stay in the state’s general fund until returned to the people they truly belong to. This is where officials working for the state in-charge of the Cali unclaimed cash were recently criticized. Seems that they were all to happy to track down and take hold of the lost assets from the various establishments holding on to them but but were less than enthusiastic about tracking down the owners in the Cali unclaimed money records.

(to be continued)

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Unclaimed money scheme launched – The Press Association
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1130283/Lloyds-planned-massive-payrises-bank-bosses-taxpayers-17bn-bailout.htmlcid=1297892612ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNGA6RPcQyRIPaF3sec4-M-LMJQvRAimg src=http://nt1.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=icgfGl29nb4Jimgurl=i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/28/article-1130283-0447D0390000044D-375_468×286.jpg width=80 height=49 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Daily Mail/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5goy8iFDbld3JC2Y668P7Ad_91XVQcid=1297892612ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNFQt3hJ2ejfYbkVvu2V9yj45JEoWgbUnclaimed money/b scheme launched/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Press Associationnbsp;-/font nobrJan 27, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The newly created Lloyds Banking Group launched a campaign to reunite customers with nearly £100 million of bunclaimed/b funds. The group, which was created b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.financemarkets.co.uk/2009/01/28/lloyds-reunites-customers-with-forgotten-savings/cid=1297892612ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNHbRKeIWCE1TVSr374XGReK-J2AqALloyds reunites customers with forgotten savings/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrFinance Markets/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1297892612hl=ennobrall 125 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Unclaimed Money and Free Makeup – Associated Content
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1404304/unclaimed_money_and_free_makeup_.htmlcid=1295029256ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNG4Xn7nRGAvN96CPaAeqFkWfenzrQbUnclaimed Money/b and Free Makeup/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAssociated Content,nbsp;COnbsp;-/font nobrJan 20, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This bunclaimed money/b is usually owed t o taxpayers who fail to take all the tax exemptions to which they are legally entitled, leaving a lot of free bmoney/b b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-1fd=Rurl=http://www.gastongazette.com/news/tax_29497___article.html/credit_money.htmlcid=1295029256ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNHVt4WT1eiHDHoyb1DMa13zZ1PQ5Q‘Come and get the bmoney/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGaston Gazette/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1295029256hl=ennobrall 3 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Edward Palonek provides the Car Companies with information on … – Express Press Release (press release)
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://www.express-press-release.net/57/Edward%2520Palonek%2520provides%2520the%2520Car%2520Companies%2520with%2520information%2520on%2520their%2520Unclaimed%2520Money.phpcid=0ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNFAne2MXIKxv1Os3GJQx6wIoinIYQEdward Palonek provides the Car Companies with information on b…/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExpress Press Release (press release),nbsp;NVnbsp;-/font nobrJan 19, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This bmoney/b is in the form of old bank accounts, uncashed cheques, refunds bunclaimed money/b and other property, that millions of Americans are benefiting from b…/b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Naples woman, 90, in line for an infusion of big bucks – The News-Press
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://www.news-press.com/article/20090129/NEWS0119/901290342/1002/NEWS01cid=0ei=Jd-CSamTBcjcmQfP95j8Agusg=AFQjCNFeGfAhKHIsrnL8QWE2UVFczZKwVANaples woman, 90, in line for an infusion of big bucks/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe News-Press,nbsp;FLnbsp;-/font nobrJan 28, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I don#39;t plan on doing anything with the bmoney/b other than reinvesting it.quot; Since the inception of the Bureau of bUnclaimed/b Property 46 years ago, b…/b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

(Part 2 of 2)

The total amount of unclaimed money in CA averages $5 billion annually – imagine how much interest this earns for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has represented many cases involving California unclaimed property, sad that the state’s department was supposed to be a lost and found for California residents. Instead, it was turned into a profit generating ‘business’ in recent years.

The hold on the taking of property by California has recently been removed and the new California State Controller, John Chiang, is making extra efforts in the form of sweeping reforms in improving how his office is handling CA unclaimed money. There’s still a great need though for Californians and residents of all other states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these funds and on how to do a thorough search for them and take back what belongs to them.

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Do you have unclaimed funds? – Mail Tribune
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20090125/BIZ/901250335cid=0ei=S-19Sc-5KJDClQSntqS-CQusg=AFQjCNHKtyqHfJu7WbsT_E-FhwJcfVIdKgDo you have bunclaimed/b funds?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMail Tribune,nbsp;ORnbsp;-/font nobrJan 25, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Treasury Department also keeps a list of bunclaimed money/b held by federal agencies. The largest pot of bmoney/b, as of the end of September, belonged to the b…/b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

ACS Facilitates Over 30,000 Filled Prescriptions for Uninsured Hurricane Victims (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
DALLAS—-More than 30,000 medical prescriptions were filled for eligible residents affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike through the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program . EPAP is an initiative established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in which Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. provides critical program support and …

$28 million in unclaimed property claimed in #39;08 – Chicago Tribune
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-unclaimedproperty,0,2396416.storycid=1288361210ei=S-19Sc-5KJDClQSntqS-CQusg=AFQjCNHQmc4g8cl_MVVfbskd0rNdEKI85Q$28 million in bunclaimed/b property claimed in #39;08/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fChicago Tribune,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrDec 30, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Under state law, after one to five years of inactivity, businesses must turn bunclaimed money/b, stock and safe deposit boxes to the state treasurer#39;s office b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/36960974.htmlcid=1288361210ei=S-19Sc-5KJDClQSntqS-CQusg=AFQjCNHBzeKKGysHHqSd-UaJx4YXmHJJEAMissing bMoney/b? State Holding Millions in bUnclaimed/b Property/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWSAW/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-2fd=Rurl=http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/430194cid=1288361210ei=S-19Sc-5KJDClQSntqS-CQusg=AFQjCNF2f1ZbknimtksZtq3ZL5-pZyOKQAbUnclaimed/b property returned in record amounts/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCapital Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1288361210hl=ennobrall 22 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

(Part 2 of 2)

The total amount of unclaimed money in CA averages $5 billion annually – imagine how much interest this earns for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has represented many cases involving California unclaimed property, sad that the state’s department was supposed to be a lost and found for California residents. Instead, it was turned into a profit generating ‘business’ in recent years.

The hold on the taking of property by California has recently been removed and the new California State Controller, John Chiang, is making extra efforts in the form of sweeping reforms in improving how his office is handling CA unclaimed money. There’s still a great need though for Californians and residents of all other states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these funds and on how to do a thorough search for them and take back what belongs to them.

–

$28 million in unclaimed property claimed in #39;08 – Chicago Tribune
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-unclaimedproperty,0,2396416.storycid=1288361210ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNHOT_rT8mBZGI_fY8p-4Zv089ilXA$28 million in bunclaimed/b property claimed in #39;08/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fChicago Tribune,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrDec 30, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Under state law, after one to five years of inactivity, businesses must turn bunclaimed money/b, stock and safe deposit boxes to the state treasurer#39;s office b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-1fd=Rurl=http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/36960974.htmlcid=1288361210ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNHJJ97lHiQB2Iym4xYqB2ns1zk2XwMissing bMoney/b? State Holding Millions in bUnclaimed/b Property/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWSAW/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-2fd=Rurl=http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/430194cid=1288361210ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNGjscilsQRKr9SfqkCy-vAepxISLAbUnclaimed/b property returned in record amounts/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCapital Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1288361210hl=ennobrall 22 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Unclaimed Money and Free Makeup – Associated Content
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1404304/unclaimed_money_and_free_makeup_.htmlcid=1295029256ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNGbZdDWuVoEgHeXf1WQnbb83IBFnwbUnclaimed Money/b and Free Makeup/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAssociated Content,nbsp;COnbsp;-/font nobrJan 20, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This bunclaimed money/b is usually owed t o taxpayers who fail to take all the tax exemptions to which they are legally entitled, leaving a lot of free bmoney/b b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.gastongazette.com/news/tax_29497___article.html/credit_money.htmlcid=1295029256ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNHof9FXfAnLSPLUNINrdhXhAcz9QA‘Come and get the bmoney/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGaston Gazette/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1295029256hl=ennobrall 3 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

File For Millions In Unclaimed Tax Refunds – KMPH Fox 26
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D9720296%26nav%3Dmenu612_2_7cid=1295705985ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNEjH6GHZQG3q2V5m-HW7UpvfTlUugFile For Millions In bUnclaimed/b Tax Refunds/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKMPH Fox 26,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b…/b I didn#39;t have to spend bmoney/b on it, I just had to go on the internet,quot; she said. In Fresno in 2008, there were 26 million EITC dollars left bunclaimed/b, b…/b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20090122/OPINION01/901220355cid=1295705985ei=gsB5Sff-PJXFmQfE4dDwCQusg=AFQjCNFIcQ1cQOAhaIhXq5C8VOgdd3gxDAOur View: Get the word out on tax help/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMuncie Star Press/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8oe=utf-8rls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-atab=wnncl=1295705985hl=ennobrall 19 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed property department takes in approximately three hundred million dollars every year. Why should you care? Well, if you or anyone you know is or has been a resident of the Golden State (or had any kind of business dealings, whether you were aware of it or not), part of that big pile of California unclaimed money might easily belong to you!

Under the California unclaimed property (or escheat) law, abandoned assets like forgotten savings and checking accounts, cash and stock dividends, mineral deposits, uncashed checks and money orders, state of California unclaimed tax refunds, salary checks, gift certificates, and other assets are handed over to the Treasury Dept. if their owners don’t come for them within a given time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in California it’s three years. These lost assets then get moved to the CA unclaimed property division, where they wait in the state’s general fund until they’re returned to their rightful owners. This is where state officials who handled California unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It appears that they have been all to happy to locate and collect the lost funds from the various establishments holding on to them but but weren’t so keen on locating the actual owners in the California unclaimed property list.

One of the primary reasons for the inability of government to return forgotten money to residents, they say, is the fact that they cannot be tracked down. Problem is, would would ever think that people like Angelina Jolie, ZsaZsa Gabor, Gerri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Marlon Brando and Jennifer Lopez would be hard to locate? Those names and the names of several other celebrities are some of the names in the California missing money database and yet they haven’t been contacted by the officials in the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They are all owed checks for forgotten funds by California ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This just proves California state employees’ interest in holding this cash in the general fund for use in balancing the budget deficits for as long as they can. As a matter of fact, there was a recent ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned money, saying that the state was not doing enough to locate the rightful owners and for a while halted the ability of the state to take and hold it until a proper method of reuniting it with the rightful owners was adopted.

(to be continued)

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Eastday-Lottery winner loses out on unclaimed prize (Eastday.com)
The winner of a 5.66-million-yuan (US$827,739) lottery jackpot failed to collect the cash yesterday, the deadline for picking up the prize. The unclaimed money will be added to the next draw, the Shanghai Welfare Lottery Center said.

Finders keepers? (BBC News)
Is washed up timber a windfall for beachcombers?

Forgotten money might be yours for the asking – The Wenatchee World Online

Forgotten money might be yours for the asking The Wenatchee World Online, WA - 6 hours ago The Treasury Department also keeps a list of unclaimed money held by federal agencies. The largest pot of money, as of the end of September, belonged to the …

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the primary reasons for the inability of government give back forgotten cash to its owners, they claim, is that they can’t be located. The problem is, would would ever think people like Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie ,Marlon Brando, Keanu Reeves, ZsaZsa Gabor and Gerri Halliwell could be hard to locate? Those names and the names of a number of other celebrities are just some of the names in the CA missing money database and yet they have not been contacted by the employees in the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They are all owed checks for lost assets by CA amounting from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This just shows CA state employees’ interest in keeping this money in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficit for as long as they can. As a matter of fact, there was recently a ruling by a judge on CA abandoned cash, saying that the state was not trying hard enough to return it to its rightful owners and for a while halted the state’s s ability to seize it until a new policy of reuniting it with the actual owners was enacted.

The total dollar amount for these funds in California averages five billion dollars annually – just imagine how much interest this earns for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has represented many cases involving California unclaimed money, has said that the state’s department was supposed to be a lost and found for residents of California. Sadly, it was turned into a profit making ‘business’ in the past few years.

The hold on the seizure of property by CA has recently been lifted and the new CA State Controller, John Chiang, is making greater efforts in the form of widespread reforms in improving how his office handles California unclaimed money. There’s still a dire need though for Californians and residents of all other states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these funds and on how to do a thorough search for them.

–

Blakely: New Orleans will use GO Zone money (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
BATON ROUGE — New Orleans’ recovery czar told the State Bond Commission Thursday that the city expects private developments will take full advantage of a special post-hurricane financing method before the program reaches a critical deadline at the end of this year.

Lost property returned in record amounts – The Reporter

Lost property returned in record amounts The Reporter, WI - Jan 2, 2009 Under Wisconsin law, after one to five years of inactivity, Wisconsin businesses are mandated to turn all unclaimed money, stock and safe deposit boxes to …

State looks to return unclaimed property – 2TheAdvocate

KTBS

State looks to return unclaimed property 2TheAdvocate, LA - Dec 23, 2008 By SARAH CHACKO Baton Rouge and other Louisiana residents looking for some extra cash this holiday season should see if they have unclaimed money in the … Unclaimed property could mean help for the holiday WXVT all 12 news articles

Do you have missing money? – WPDE

Do you have missing money? WPDE, SC - Jan 7, 2009 By Jaimie Reda Millions of dollars in unclaimed money has made it's way to the state treasurer's office. The program is better known as the Palmetto Payback …