(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)

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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 …