(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed money program takes in roughly 300 million dollars annually. Why should you care? Well, if you or anyone you know is or 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 massive pile of Cali unclaimed money could easily be yours!

Under the state of California unclaimed funds law, missing 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 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 Cali it’s 3 years. These lost assets then go to the California unclaimed property div, where they stay in the state’s general fund until they’re returned to the people they truly belong to. This is where officials working for the state in-charge of the Cali unclaimed cash were criticized recently. It appears that they have been eager to track down and take hold of the lost assets from the various establishments holding on to them but but weren’t so keen on contacting the owners in the Cali unclaimed money database.

One of the main reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten cash to its owners, they say, is the fact that they can not 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 could be hard to locate? Those names and the names of a number of other famous people are just some of the names in the Cali missing money list and yet they have never heard from the employees at the California Unclaimed Property Division. They’re all owed checks for unclaimed money by Cali ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This just proves Cali state employees’ interest in holding this cash in the general fund for use in balancing the budget deficits for as long as they can. In fact, there was a recent ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned money, saying that the state was not trying hard enough to return it to its rightful owners and has temporarily halted the ability of the state to take and hold it until a new policy of reuniting it with the actual owners was adopted.

(to be continued)

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Nevada nets $50 million from unclaimed property – MSN Money
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) – Nevada’s coffers are $50 million richer because of proceeds from unclaimed property. State Treasure Kate Marshall says the amount is $12 million, or 23 percent, more than anticipated this spring by the Economic Forum. The …

Do You Have Unclaimed Assests? (WEEK-TV Peoria)
This could be your chance to grab some unclaimed money. State officials say the Treasurer’s Office is holding approximately 1.4–billin dollars in unclaimed assets and 14–million of it belongs to Peoria County residents or their relatives.

Harry Gross: Getting $$ from dad’s estate – Philadelphia Daily News
Dear Harry: My father passed away 19 years ago in New Jersey. I am his only child and was the executrix of his will. All items were taken care of at that time, and all his assets were properly transferred to me. About five months ago, I came across …

Consumer agencies launch “international internet sweep” – Securecomputing.net.au
…armed only with the humble search engine. Australia’s competition watchdog is one of several worldwide agencies that has set up a taskforce to target websites making misleading or fraudulent claims to consumers, in what is being called an …

Unclaimed funds in state have reached $27 million – Dickinson Press & Advertiser
Forgotten and missing funds such as uncashed paychecks, dormant bank accounts, and stocks and bonds containing anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars could be waiting for hundreds of area residents. Since 1975, North Dakota has been accumulating …

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten money to its owners, they claim, is that they can not be tracked down. The issue is, who would 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? Their names and the names of a number of other famous people are some of the names in the CA missing money list and yet they have not been contacted by the officials at the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They’re all owed checks for forgotten funds by CA ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This just proves CA state officials’ interest in holding this money in the general fund for use in balancing the budget deficit for as long as they possibly can. As a matter of fact, there was a recent ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned money, saying that the state wasn’t doing enough to locate the rightful owners and for a while halted the state’s s ability to take and hold it until a new policy of returning it to the rightful owners has been adopted.

The total amount of unclaimed money in CA averages $5 billion annually – imagine the amount of interest that accrues for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has represented many cases involving California unclaimed property, said the state’s department was supposed to be a lost and found of sorts for Californians. Instead, it was turned into a profit earning ‘business’ in the past few years.

The ban on the taking of property by CA has now been removed and the new California State Controller, John Chiang, is making extra efforts in the form of widespread reforms in improving how his office deals with CA 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 properties and on how to perform a thorough search for them and take back what belongs to them.

–

Hunt for your own lost treasure; don’t pay for it – Houston Community Newspapers
I often receive calls or e-mails asking about the validity of different offers received by mail, phone or e-mail. Seldom am I asked about the same offer more than once in the same week. My suspicion quickly grew when in just the last week, I was …

State treasurer to return lost money – Tulsa World
OKLAHOMA CITY — State Treasurer Scott Meacham is going to the Oklahoma State Fair to help Oklahomans claim $300 million in lost money. Meacham administers Oklahoma’s unclaimed property program. And this will mark the ninth consecutive year his …

Boldfacers on list for abandoned cash – Boston Herald
And the MIT Sloan School of Management , which should know better, is owed $200 from Bain & Company . To think how the business school could have put that money to work! The treasurer’s fall unclaimed money list, which appears in the Boston Herald …

Nevada nets $50 million from unclaimed property – MSN Money
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) – Nevada’s coffers are $50 million richer because of proceeds from unclaimed property. State Treasure Kate Marshall says the amount is $12 million, or 23 percent, more than anticipated this spring by the Economic Forum. The …

Unclaimed funds in state have reached $27 million – Dickinson Press & Advertiser
Forgotten and missing funds such as uncashed paychecks, dormant bank accounts, and stocks and bonds containing anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars could be waiting for hundreds of area residents. Since 1975, North Dakota has been accumulating …

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed property department takes in about 300 million dollars every year. What’s it to you? Well, if you or someone you know is or has been a resident of the Golden State (or had any kind of business dealings, whether you knew it or not), part of that big pile of CA lost assets might very well be yours!

Under the CA unclaimed funds 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 handed over to the Treasury Dept. if their owners don’t locate them within a given period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in CA it’s 3 years. These forgotten funds then head to the CA unclaimed property div, where they wait in the state’s general fund until they are returned to the rightful owners. This is where state officials who handled CA unclaimed cash were recently criticized. Seems that they have been all to happy to locate and take hold of the lost funds from the various establishments holding on to them but but weren’t so keen on tracking down the owners in the CA unclaimed property database.

(to be continued)

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Comptroller’s Web site to help consumers and taxpayers – Legislative Gazette
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today unveiled the Your Money New York Web site aimed at helping consumers and taxpayers with a hearty dose of information on budgeting and guarding their savings during a time when the state’s deficit is …

The week that was: Are you scared yet? – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When G-20 leaders come to Pittsburgh this week they will see a city that has defied the odds, embraced green technologies, diversified its economy … and is in hiding. For the most part, it will not be business as usual for Downtown businesses. Most …

Tim Cahill’s lots and lots of money – Boston Herald
And the MIT Sloan School of Management , which should know better, is owed $200 from Bain & Company . To think how the business school could have put that money to work! The treasurer’s fall unclaimed money list, which appears in the Boston Herald …

Unclaimed vehicles towed by 2 Dallas County constable offices wait in paperwork limbo (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas County officials say thousands of unclaimed vehicles impounded by two constable offices for traffic offenses over the years must be accounted for and auctioned off as soon as possible.

Treasurer to return lost money – Muskogee Daily Phoenix
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — State Treasurer Scott Meacham is going to the Oklahoma State Fair to help Oklahomans claim $300 million in lost money. Meacham administers Oklahoma’s unclaimed property program. And this will mark the ninth consecutive year his …

(Part 2 of 2)

The total amount of unclaimed money in California averages $5 billion annually – just imagine how much interest that earns for the state! Sacramento attorney Bill Palmer who has battled in many cases involving California unclaimed property, sad that the state’s department was created to be a lost and found of sorts for Californians. Sadly, it was turned into a profit earning ‘business’ in recent years.

The ban 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 sweeping changes in improving how his office deals with CA unclaimed money. There’s still a great need though for residents of California and the other 49 states across the U.S. to be informed about the presence of these funds and on how to perform a thorough search for them and take back what belongs to them.

–

Idaho Launches Unclaimed Property Online Claim Service at http://idaho … – MSN Money
More than $51 million in lost assets in Idaho is waiting to be reunited with rightful owners. Thanks to Access Idaho and the Idaho Tax Commission, claiming that money just got easier at http://idaho.gov . Faster processing is among the benefits of …

Pa. holds $1.6 billion in unclaimed assets – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Old paychecks, utility refunds, stocks, bank accounts and contents of safe deposit boxes amounting to $1.6 billion are now collecting dust in the unclaimed property division of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department. And, by some estimates, more than …

£5M U.K. National Lottery winner claims jackpot (Lottery Post)
The winner of a £5 million (US$8.2 million) National Lottery jackpot which had gone unclaimed for two weeks has come forward, operator Camelot said today.

Do you have unclaimed assets in Idaho? Check and file claim online – Idaho Statesman
More than $51 million in lost assets are waiting to be claimed, and a newly launched online claim service will make it quicker than ever for people to get their rightful property back, according to the Idaho Tax Commission. Those who request claims …

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed money department takes in about three hundred million dollars annually. Why does it matter to you? Well, if you or someone 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 massive pile of CA forgotten funds might easily belong to you!

Under the CA 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 Department of the Treasury if the rightful owners don’t come for them within a certain time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies widely from state to state, but in CA it’s 3 years. These abandoned assets then go to the CA unclaimed property div, where they stay in the state’s general fund until they are returned to their rightful owners. This is where state employees who handled CA unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It seems that they have been eager to locate and collect the lost assets from the establishments holding them but but were less than enthusiastic about tracking down the owners in the CA unclaimed property records.

One of the main reasons for the inability of government to return forgotten money to its owners, according to the government, is the fact that they can’t be tracked down. The issue 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 difficult to find? Those names and the names of several other celebrities are just some of the names in the CA missing money database but they have not been contacted by the employees at the California Unclaimed Money Division. They’re all owed checks for unclaimed money by CA ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This proves once again CA state employees’ interest in holding this cash in the general fund for use in balancing the budget deficits for as long as they can. In fact, there was a recent ruling by a federal 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 seize it until a new policy of reuniting it with the rightful owners was adopted.

(to be continued)

–

Money, property part of annual auction – Columbus Telegram
LINCOLN — The annual Internet auction of Nebraska unclaimed property begins today. About 200 items left in unclaimed safe deposit boxes, including gold and silver coins, Confederate currency, diamond jewelry and Husker memorabilia, will be auctioned …

Tenn. Morgues Filled With Unclaimed Bodies – Wbaltv.com
In the past year, the number of unclaimed bodies in Nashville morgues has nearly doubled because families can’t scrape together the money to bury them. The Metro burial assistance program steps in when that happens, but now that program has been …

NSSF calls on pensioners to collect unclaimed assets – East African Standard
To reduce the backlog of unclaimed assets it is holding, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has called on pensioners yet to collect their retirement benefits to do so. The Fund becomes one of the few institutions holding enormous amounts in …

Clark Howard: Unclaimed Property Equals Real Deals For You – WSB-TV Atlanta
ATLANTA — If you’ve been a victim of theft, there’s a chance you can find your things online for sale. That’s because the Atlanta Police Department, and many other departments across the country, have a new way of auctioning off unclaimed …

5 million Lotto win left unclaimed – The Independent
A city was bracing itself for a frenzy of back-of-the-sofa searching and sock drawer ransacking today after details were revealed of an unclaimed £5 million lottery prize. National Lottery operator Camelot said the £4,908,817 Lotto jackpot from …

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability to return forgotten money to the people it belongs to, they claim, is that they can’t be tracked down. Problem is, who would 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 difficult to track down? Their names and the names of a number of other celebrities are just a few of the names in the Cali missing money database but they haven’t been contacted by the employees at 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 just proves Cali state officials’ interest in holding this money in the general fund for them to balance the budget deficit for as long as they can. In fact, there was recently a ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned cash, saying that the state was not doing enough to return it to its rightful owners and for a while halted the ability of the state to seize it until a new policy of reuniting it with the actual owners was enacted.

The total dollar amount for these funds in CA averages $5 billion annually – imagine the amount of interest that accrues for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has fought in a number of cases involving California unclaimed property, has said that the state’s department was created to be a lost and found for California residents. Instead, it has been turned into a profit making ‘business’ in the past few years.

The hold on the taking of property by CA has since been lifted and the new California State Controller, John Chiang, is making extra efforts in the form of widespread reforms in improving how his office is handling CA unclaimed money. There is 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 and take back what belongs to them.

–

Money, property part of annual auction – Columbus Telegram
LINCOLN — The annual Internet auction of Nebraska unclaimed property begins today. About 200 items left in unclaimed safe deposit boxes, including gold and silver coins, Confederate currency, diamond jewelry and Husker memorabilia, will be auctioned …

State attorney general on tour to reunite Hoosiers, their stuff – Evansville Courier-Press
Arthur Harte’s wallet is thicker today thanks to his daughter. On Wednesday, he received a check for about $300 from Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller on behalf of the Web site www.indianaunclaimed.com . His daughter regularly checks the Web site …

Bringing back Indian money in tax havens (The Hindu)
Public perception has remained strong of domestic money being stashed away illegally in Switzerland

Tenn. Morgues Filled With Unclaimed Bodies – News4Jax.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The economic downtown is making things complicated for some in death. In the past year, the number of unclaimed bodies in Nashville morgues has nearly doubled because families can’t scrape together the money to bury them. The …

(Part 1 of 2)

The state of California’s unclaimed property department takes in about $300 million every year. What’s it to you? Well, if you or someone you know is or was a resident of the Golden State (or had any kind of business dealings, whether you knew it or not), a chunk of that big heap of Cali lost assets might very well belong to you!

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 turned 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 Cali it is three years. These abandoned assets then head to the CA unclaimed property division, where they wait in the state’s general fund until they are returned to the people they truly belong to. This is where officials working for the state who handled Cali unclaimed cash were criticized recently. It seems that they were eager to locate and collect the lost assets from the various establishments holding on to them but but were less than enthusiastic about locating the actual owners in the Cali unclaimed property records.

(to be continued)

–

Northampton County controller wants to keep money from state (The Morning Call)
But County Executive John Stoffa says the ‘nice symbolic gesture’ wouldn’t help get a state budget passed Angered by the state budget stalemate that has forced counties to dig into their savings to keep many human services programs going, Northampton County Controller Stephen J. Barron Jr. on Friday called on his county to start withholding money from the state.

Three Nebraska Towns Get Storm Cleanup Money (WOWT Omaha)
Three Nebraska towns have received more than $457,000 following spring storms that unleashed damaging wind, hail, tornadoes and rain.

Texas Has $2 Billion In Unclaimed Property – KFOX 14
EL PASO, Texas — With just a few key strokes and the click of a mouse, the state of Texas allows citizens to search for money they may be owed. In total about $2 billion dollars in unclaimed money sits waiting for about 200,000 Texans to claim. KFOX …

Agoura Hills seeks owners of unclaimed deposits (Ventura County Star)
Agoura Hills has $3,306 to return to its rightful owners, if only they will step forward to claim the money. The funds are unclaimed deposits paid to the city by private individuals and commercial entities, including MTV Networks, which posted a $500 bond when it wanted to film a documentary, city officials said.

States Leave $3 Billion In Unemployment Benefits On The Table – Mediabistro.com
Leading the news today is the story that more than $3.1 billion in stimulus money set aside for jobless benefits has been yet unclaimed, because 23 states haven’t expanded their benefits to take advantage of the funds. This money could help almost …

(Part 2 of 2)

The total amount of unclaimed money in California averages $5 billion annually – imagine the amount of interest that generates for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has fought in many cases involving CA unclaimed property, said the state’s program was supposed to be a lost and found for residents of California. Sadly, it has been turned into a profit generating ‘business’ in recent years.

The hold on the taking of property by California has now been removed and the new CA 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 great need though for Californians and Americans in all states across the U.S. to learn about the presence of these monies and on how to perform a thorough search for them.

–

Unclaimed Money Owed To Some County Residents (KGTV San Diego)
Nearly $600,000 in unclaimed property tax or other refunds is owed to San Diego County taxpayers and residents, Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister announced.

$3.1B set aside for jobless unclaimed (USA Today)
The money is sitting in a federal trust fund because 23 states haven’t expanded their jobless benefits, Labor Department records show.

$3.1B Set Aside For Unemployed Is Unclaimed Because States Haven’t … – Huffingtonpost.com
More than $3.1 billion in stimulus money for state unemployment insurance programs is sitting in a federal trust fund because 23 states haven’t expanded their jobless benefits, Labor Department records show. More than $3.1 billion in stimulus money …

Millions in lottery winnings go unclaimed – Atlanta Journal Constitution
John Spink, jspink@ajc.com The Georgia Lottery kiosk at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport North Baggage Claim was busy with foot traffic Tuesday, hours before the drawing for $252 million. John Spink, jspink@ajc.com/John Spink Sabrina …

$3.1B Set Aside for Jobless Unclaimed – ABC News
Nearly 350,000 out-of-work Americans could get benefits if all those states revamp their unemployment systems to qualify for federal money, according to estimates from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), a workers’ advocacy group. In all, the …