(Part 1 of 2)

The state of California’s unclaimed money program takes in approximately three hundred million dollars every year. Why does it matter to you? Well, if you or someone you know is or ever was a resident of the Golden State (or ever had any type of business dealings, whether you were aware of it or not), some of that big heap of CA missing money could easily be yours!

Under the California unclaimed funds law, lost money like 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 passed along to the Treasury Department if the rightful owners don’t come for them within a given period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in CA it’s 3 years. These lost assets then get moved to the California unclaimed property div, where they wait in the state’s general fund until they are returned to the rightful owners. This is where state employees who handled CA unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It seems that they have been all to happy to locate and collect the lost assets from the establishments holding them but but weren’t so keen on contacting the owners in the CA unclaimed property database.

One of the main reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten cash to residents, they claim, is that they can’t be located. The problem is, who would think that people like Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie ,Marlon Brando, Keanu Reeves, ZsaZsa Gabor and Gerri Halliwell would be difficult to track down? Their names and the names of a number of other celebrities are just a few of the names in the CA missing money database and yet they have not been contacted by the employees at the California Unclaimed Property Division. They are all owed checks for lost assets by CA ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This just shows CA state officials’ interest in holding this cash in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficits for as long as they can. In fact, there was recently a ruling by a judge on CA abandoned assets, stating that the state was not making enough of an effort to locate the rightful owners and has temporarily halted the state’s s ability to take and hold it until a proper method of returning it to the actual owners was adopted.

(to be continued)

–

REGION: $600K in unclaimed money available – North County Times
The county may owe you money and it wants you to claim it. There is nearly $600,000 that the county owes residents in unclaimed property tax refunds, fees and deposits, said county Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister. People have until Oct. 19 to …

850m is locked away in lost or forgotten accounts and bonds – Daily Mirror
Every penny counts in these cash-strapped times – yet millions of people are missing out on money sitting in forgotten or lost bank, building society and NS&I accounts. An estimated £850million is lying unclaimed. The most common reason for an …

Intern digs up thousands for county – Kokomo Perspective
Every year, Howard Superior Court III judge Doug Tate hires summer interns to clear up old records, and every year those interns seem to uncover money that more than pays for their salaries. This summer was no exception. A local high school student …

APPLE TREE AUCTION CENTER 1616 West Church Street, Newark, Ohio 43055 (740) 344-4282 FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th 10:00 AM … (Antiques and the Arts)
TWO-DAY AUCTION UNCLAIMED BANK DEPOSIT BOX CONTENTS 1,600 items FRIDAY Currency: Large size bills, bank currency, gold certificates, confederate money, and uncirculated bills. Gold: Large collection of U.S. gold coins in all denominations, Kruggerands and other foreign gold coins.

Grim economic indicator for Oregon: more unclaimed bodies (The Oregonian)
Oregon has paid for 144 cremations this year, a record number, as people struggle financially

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the main reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten cash to its owners, they claim, is that they can’t be tracked down. The problem is, would would ever think that people like Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie ,Marlon Brando, Keanu Reeves, ZsaZsa Gabor and Gerri Halliwell would be hard to locate? Those names and the names of a number of other famous people are just a few of the names in the Cali missing money list but they have not heard from the officials in the California Unclaimed Money Division. They are all owed checks for unclaimed money by Cali ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This just proves Cali state employees’ interest in keeping this cash in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficits for as long as they possibly can. In fact, there was recently a ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned money, saying that the state wasn’t making enough of an effort to return it to its rightful owners and for a while halted the ability of the state to take and hold it until a proper method of returning it to the rightful owners was enacted.

The total amount of unclaimed money in CA averages five billion dollars annually – imagine how much interest this generates for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has represented a number of cases involving California unclaimed funds, sad that the state’s department was intended to be a lost and found for California residents. Instead, it has been turned into a profit earning ‘business’ in recent years.

The hold on the seizure of property by California has now been removed and the new California State Controller, John Chiang, is making greater efforts in the form of sweeping changes in improving how his office deals with California unclaimed money. There’s still a dire need though for residents of California and the other 49 states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these monies and on how to do a thorough search for them and take back what belongs to them.

–

California holds a garage sale — with cars autographed by Schwarzenegger (Los Angeles Times)
In the latest attempt to raise money, the state is selling thousands of surplus items on EBay, Craigslist and in a warehouse auction. Does Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have a deal for you.

More people find unclaimed money – Aurora Advocate
Need money? Check the state’s Division of Unclaimed Funds. Hundreds of Ohioans have and found money they did not know they had coming to them. The site is aptly titled “Treasure Hunt” and has paid more claims and a higher total dollar amount in …

State Owes On Unclaimed Funds – WBNS 10TV Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge in Columbus has ruled that Ohio owes six percent interest on any unclaimed funds it holds until the owner comes forward. This week’s decision from Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye is retroactive to Aug. 4 …

Feds sue to recover cash sent to dead veteran (Lansing State Journal)
DETROIT The federal government says it mistakenly gave more than $50,000 to a dead Detroit man. Now it wants the money back. The government recently filed a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit, seeking to have the state of Michigan turn over the money. James Sampson died in 1995, but a monthly payment from the Department of Veterans Affairs continued to go into his bank account for more than six …

How did the Metro Gang Strike Force lose its way? Lawmakers hope to find answers (Pioneer Press)
When a state report said members of the Metro Gang Strike Force seized money and property from people never accused of a crime — and then took the property for personal use — it struck a familiar chord with law professor Joseph Daly.

(Part 1 of 2)

The state of California’s unclaimed funds department takes in approximately 300 million dollars every year. What’s it to you? Well, if you or someone you know is or ever was a resident of the Golden State (or ever had any type of business dealings, whether you knew it or not), a chunk of that big pile of Cali forgotten funds might very well be yours!

Under the CA unclaimed property law, missing money such as 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 Department of the Treasury if their 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 forgotten funds then get moved to the CA unclaimed property division, where they sit in the state’s general fund until returned to their rightful owners. This is where state officials in-charge of the Cali unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It appears that they have been eager to locate and collect the lost assets from the various establishments holding them but but weren’t so keen on contacting the owners in the Cali unclaimed funds records.

(to be continued)

–

Arkansas’ lone gambling counselor waiting for phone to ring – Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Rudy Garza of Bella Vista is surprised no one in state government has called him. Garza, the only counselor in Arkansas certified in gambling addiction treatment, said he has not heard from state officials about providing counseling …

State treasurer’s office seeks owners of lost property – Herald & Review
DECATUR – Cash Dash, an Illinois Treasurer’s Office program designed to get unclaimed property back in the hands of its owners, is ready to go public with a list of people it wants to pay back after all these years. A treasurer’s spokeswoman said …

Winning Lottery Ticket Remains Unclaimed (WITN 7 North Carolina)
Get out your tickets and check the number. A big lotto ticket sold right here in the east remains unclaimed.

County hopes to return taxpayers’ money (Seguin Gazette-Enterprise)
SEGUIN — Lose some money? Guadalupe County Treasurer Linda Douglass might be able to help you get it back.

County hopes to return taxpayers’ money – Seguin Gazette-Enterprise
Guadalupe County Treasurer Linda Douglass might be able to help you get it back. In her quarterly report to county commissioners, Douglass said Tuesday she was looking for owners of more than $4 million in unclaimed money being held for Guadalupe …

(Part 2 of 2)

The total dollar amount for these funds in CA averages $5 billion annually – imagine the amount of interest that earns for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has represented numerous cases involving CA unclaimed funds, said 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 recent years.

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

–

‘Cash Dash:’ Treasurer’s official helps citizens find unclaimed money – Telegraph
ALTON – One of the state’s “money men” came to town Tuesday and likely made at least 35 people happy, if their claims with the State Treasurer’s Office go through. “I know Ed McMahon is dead, but I always say I feel like Ed McMahon without the …

Stolen goods go under hammer (BigPond News)
More than 400 lots will go under the hammer over two days as NSW Police auction unclaimed property.

Top lottery prize unclaimed – Yuma Daily Sun
It may be just a case of someone who is absentminded, but some lucky Yuman has neglected to redeem their $10,000 Ca$h 4 Arizona lottery ticket. The jackpot ticket was sold at the Fry’s Food Store, 11274 S. Fortuna Rd., and the winner has until Sept …

$10,000 Lottery Tickets Still Unclaimed – KELOLAND TV
During these tough economic times, who couldn’t use a little extra cash? Apparently a couple of lottery players don’t need the money. The South Dakota Lottery office in Pierre says it’s still waiting to hand out $20-thousand dollars in winnings. One …

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed property department takes in approximately $300 million 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 ever had any type of business dealings, whether you were aware of it or not), part of that big pile of California unclaimed money could very well belong to you!

Under the CA unclaimed property (or escheat) law, abandoned assets like 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 financial assets are passed along to the Department of the Treasury if the rightful owners don’t come for them within a given period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies widely from state to state, but in California it is three years. These forgotten funds then head to the California unclaimed property division, where they sit in the state’s general fund until they are returned to their rightful owners. This is where state officials in-charge of the California unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It seems that they were eager to track down and take hold of the lost assets from the various establishments holding on to them but showed less interest in contacting the owners in the California unclaimed funds list.

One of the primary reasons for the inability of government to return forgotten cash to residents, they claim, is that they can’t be located. The problem is, who would think people like ZsaZsa Gabor, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Gerri Halliwell, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Sandler and Marlon Brando would be hard to find? Their names and the names of several other famous people are just some of the names in the California missing money database and yet they have never been contacted by the employees in the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They’re all owed checks for unclaimed money by California ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This just proves California state employees’ interest in keeping this cash in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficits for as long as they can. As a matter of fact, there was recently a ruling by a judge on CA abandoned assets, stating that the state was not doing enough to return it to its rightful owners and has temporarily halted the state’s s ability to take and hold it until a new policy of reuniting it with the actual owners has been adopted.

(to be continued)

–

Unclaimed $200,000 Powerball prize to expire – Arizona Business Gazette
Someone will lose a $200,000 lottery prize if they don’t claim it soon. It’s a single Powerball ticket from the Feb. 18 drawing that was sold at the gas station of the Safeway store at 5810 W. Thunderbird Road in Glendale. The money has to be claimed …

State treasurer’s office seeks owners of lost property (Herald & Review)
By H&R staff DECATUR – Cash Dash, an Illinois Treasurer’s Office program designed to get unclaimed property back in the hands of its owners, is ready to go public with a list of people it wants to pay back after all these years.

Treasurer Giannoulias says join the Cash Dash crowd – Lincoln Daily News
The treasurer’s office is publishing the names of about 7,000 residents and businesses in central Illinois county newspapers during the week of Aug. 16. All told, these lucky residents are owed $3.5 million in “free” cash. “If your name is on the …

State treasurer’s office seeks owners of lost property – Herald & Review
DECATUR – Cash Dash, an Illinois Treasurer’s Office program designed to get unclaimed property back in the hands of its owners, is ready to go public with a list of people it wants to pay back after all these years. A treasurer’s spokeswoman said …

State Lottery Winners Have Six Months Less To Pick Up Winnings (Hartford Courant)
From now on, Connecticut Lottery winners will have six months less time to claim their prizes , a change expected to reap $6.1 million in unclaimed prize money for the cash-starved state government during the first year.

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten money to residents, according to the government, is that they cannot be located. Problem is, who would think that people like ZsaZsa Gabor, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Gerri Halliwell, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Sandler and Marlon Brando would be hard to find? Those names and the names of several other famous people are some of the names in the Cali missing money database but they have never heard from the officials at the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They are all owed checks for unclaimed money by Cali ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This proves once again Cali state employees’ interest in keeping this cash in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficit for as long as they possibly can. In fact, there was recently a ruling by a judge on CA abandoned money, saying that the state wasn’t trying hard enough to return it to its rightful owners and for a while halted the state’s s ability to take and hold it until a new policy of reuniting it with the actual owners has been adopted.

The total amount of unclaimed money in California averages five billion dollars annually – just imagine the amount of interest that generates for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has battled in many cases involving California unclaimed funds, said the state’s department was intended to be a lost and found of sorts for Californians. Sadly, it has been turned into a profit making ‘business’ in recent years.

The hold on the taking of property by CA has since been lifted and the new CA State Controller, John Chiang, is making extra efforts in the form of widespread changes in improving how his office handles California unclaimed property. There’s still a great need though for Californians and Americans in all states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these properties and on how to do a thorough search for them.

–

Ohio Department of Commerce says more Ohioans are looking for unclaimed money (WKSU Kent State University)
More Ohioans are looking for lost money these days, and not just in the couch cushions. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports the state is paying more money to people through the unclaimed funds program. WKSU’s Jo Ingles reports.

Unclaimed bushfire compensation – Skynews.com
Six months after Black Saturday more than a third of the money allocated to Victorian fire victims remains unclaimed. And millions more are tied up in red tape as a tax technicality blocks survivors of the February 7 disaster accessing money pledged …

Catholic Church slams ‘money worship’ as lottery reaches world record £112million (Daily Mail)
Catholic Church slams ‘money worship’ as lottery reaches world record £112million

Roseville Man Finds People’s Unclaimed Money – WCCO
The state of Minnesota is sitting on an enormous pile of unclaimed cash. At last accounting, it was valued at slightly more than $300 million. That’s a lot of cash, belonging to people and businesses, counties and communities, hospitals and schools …

Catholic Church slams ‘money worship’ as lottery reaches world record … – Daily Mail
Catholic Church officials in Italy have expressed fears as the country’s national lottery jackpot rolled over again last night to reach a world record whopping 131 million Euro (£112 million). The top prize, said by organisers to be the largest in …

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed property department takes in roughly three hundred million dollars each year. What’s it to you? Well, if you or anyone you know is or ever was a resident of the Golden State (or ever had any type of business dealings, whether you were aware of it or not), part of that big heap of Cali forgotten funds might easily belong to you!

Under the California unclaimed property (or escheat) law, abandoned assets like 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 financial assets are passed along to the Treasury Dept. if their owners don’t locate them within a given time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies widely from state to state, but in Cali it’s 3 years. These abandoned assets then go to the CA unclaimed property division, where they sit in the state’s general fund until they are returned to the rightful owners. This is where state employees in-charge of the Cali unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It seems that they have been all to happy to track down and take hold of the lost funds from the various establishments holding them but but weren’t so keen on tracking down the actual owners in the Cali unclaimed funds list.

(to be continued)

–

Unclaimed bodies stacking up – Oakland Press
The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON Michael Zehnder, Oakland County director of public services, at the Oakland County Cemetery on West Road in Pontiac. A family told the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s staff this week they couldn’t come to the …

Death in the Recession: More Bodies Left Unburied (Time Magazine)
As times get tougher, more survivors are leaving the bodies of their loved ones unclaimed, unburied and uncremated — and strapped local governments are finding it harder to handle the corpses

Saginaw Police Raise $5K In eBay Gold Sale (WNEM TV 5 Mid-Michigan)
Since June 4, the department has raised a total of more than $10,000 selling confiscated or unclaimed items.

A third of bushfire funds are unclaimed – West Online
More than a third of the money allocated by the Victorian bushfires appeal has yet to be claimed. A report released on the six-month anniversary of the Black Saturday disaster shows $94 million of the $266 million made available so far remains …

Roseville Man Finds People’s Unclaimed Money (WCCO Minneapolis – St. Paul)
The state of Minnesota is sitting on an enormous pile of unclaimed cash. At last accounting, it was valued at slightly more than $300 million. Now, a retired Roseville man is out to prove that finding the rightful owners isn’t that hard.

(Part 2 of 2)

The total dollar amount for these funds in California averages five billion dollars annually – imagine the amount of interest that accrues for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has battled in numerous cases involving California unclaimed money, sad that the state’s program was created to be a lost and found for California residents. Sadly, it was turned into a profit making ‘business’ in the past few years.

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

–

Schneider: Restitution money is running out, and Europe needs to step … – JTA
NEW YORK (JTA) — Gregory Schneider was promoted recently to the top professional position at the Claims Conference, executive vice president, after several years as chief operating officer. JTA Managing Editor Uriel Heilman sat down with Schneider …

Some Mass. Lottery winners never collect their winnings – Union-News & Sunday Republican
SPRINGFIELD – Here’s the hard part: You walk into a convenience store, buy a $1 lottery ticket and nail the six-digit combination to win a $2 million jackpot. The next step is easier: Cash in the ticket at state Lottery headquarters, and collect your …

Does the IRS owe you money? (KMIR 6 Palm Springs)
Who couldn’t use a little extra cash this summer! The IRS may have some money for you. If you have not filed a prior year tax return and are due a refund, you should consider filing the return to claim that refund.

Personal Finance: Finding unclaimed money (The Sacramento Bee)
This week, we’re dishing up a little midsummer financial smorgasbord. A taste of this, a dab of that:

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed property program takes in roughly $300 million every year. Why does it matter to you? Well, if you or someone you know is or has been a resident of the Golden State (or ever had any type of business dealings, whether you knew it or not), some of that massive pile of Cali unclaimed money might very well be yours!

Under the California unclaimed funds law, abandoned assets such as 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 financial assets are turned over to the Department of the Treasury if their owners don’t come for them within a certain time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in Cali it is three years. These lost assets then go to the CA unclaimed property div, where they sit in the state’s general fund until returned to their rightful owners. This is where state officials who handled Cali unclaimed cash were recently criticized. Seems that they have been all to happy to track down and collect the lost assets from the establishments holding on to them but but weren’t so keen on tracking down the owners in the Cali unclaimed money list.

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten money to the people it belongs to, they say, is the fact that they cannot be tracked down. The problem is, who would think people like Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie ,Marlon Brando, Keanu Reeves, ZsaZsa Gabor and Gerri Halliwell could be difficult to locate? Those names and the names of a number of other celebrities are just some of the names in the Cali missing money database but they haven’t been contacted by the officials in the California Unclaimed Money Division. They are all owed checks for unclaimed money by Cali amounting from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This proves once again Cali state officials’ interest in holding this money in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficits for as long as they possibly can. As a matter of fact, there was recently a ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned assets, saying that the state was not making enough of an effort to locate the rightful owners and for a while halted the state’s s ability to take and hold it until a proper method of returning it to the rightful owners has been adopted.

(to be continued)

–

Police to auction unclaimed vehicles after one month (Zawya)
Dubai: About 3,000 confiscated vehicles which are lying unclaimed are set to be sold in a Dubai Police auction if their owners do not come for them within one month.

Schneider: Restitution money is running out, and Europe needs to step … – JTA
NEW YORK (JTA) — Gregory Schneider was promoted recently to the top professional position at the Claims Conference, executive vice president, after several years as chief operating officer. JTA Managing Editor Uriel Heilman sat down with Schneider …

Terrebonne and Lafourche file paperwork on time (The Houma Courier)
Naomi King Staff Writer HOUMA – Nearly four dozen local governments across Louisiana failed to collect more than $1.5 million in state budget earmarks this past fiscal year, according to a new government watchdog group.

Treasurer wants to reunite $16.7 billion in unclaimed Savings Bonds … – Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va.– Putting $16.7 billion worth of unclaimed U.S. Savings Bonds in the hands of their owners “would be a stimulus package of its own,” as well as the right thing to do, according to State Treasurer John Perdue. That’s why he and other …

State has $50 million to give you – Cincinnati.com
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – Each year the Kentucky Treasury collects about $50 million in unclaimed property, often sitting in forgotten bank accounts. State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach has started a tour of Kentucky counties seeking volunteers to help track …