(Part 2 of 2)

The total amount of unclaimed money in CA averages $5 billion annually – just imagine how much interest that earns for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has represented many cases involving CA unclaimed funds, sad that the state’s program 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 CA has since 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 deals with CA unclaimed money. There is still a dire 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.

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Palonek reports, that there are Millions of Dollars in Unclaimed … – PRLog (free press release)
There are people who buy lottery tickets but are unaware that they have won a future, which results in millions of dollars that become unclaimed. “The only bright spot in all this unclaimed money is that once the time period expires on when the …

Wisconsin treasury returns $27 million in unclaimed funds – KTTC
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state treasury made more than 26,000 people happy last year by reuniting them with cash they didn’t know they had. The state sometimes ends up with people’s money in the form of uncashed paychecks, stock dividends or …

Disabled Texans may be due money (Abilene Reporter-News)
Disabled Texans who paid $5 for a blue parking placard may be owed money if a $20.2 million class action lawsuit is approved by a judge Jan. 29.Some in Abilene who have the placards, which commonly hang from a rearview mirror, said Tuesday they probably won’t take the time required to get the money back.“It’s not that big of a deal to me,” said Fred Kihlberg, 78, who first got his blue vehicle …

(Part 1 of 2)

The state of California’s unclaimed funds program takes in roughly three hundred million dollars every year. Why should you care? 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), a chunk of that big heap of CA lost assets might very well be yours!

Under the California unclaimed property (or escheat) 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 Dept. if the rightful owners don’t come for them within a certain time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in CA 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 returned to the people they truly belong to. This is where state officials who handled CA unclaimed cash were criticized recently. It appears that they have been all to happy to track down and take hold of the lost assets from the establishments holding them but but weren’t so keen on contacting the owners in the CA unclaimed funds list.

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability to return forgotten money to the people it belongs to, they claim, is the fact that they cannot be tracked down. The issue 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 could be hard to locate? 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 haven’t heard from the officials in the California Unclaimed Funds Division. They’re all owed checks for unclaimed money by CA ranging in amount from hundreds to the thousands in Ms. Jolie’s case. This proves once again CA state employees’ interest in holding this money in the general fund for use in balancing 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 money, stating that the state wasn’t making enough of an effort to locate the rightful owners and for a while halted the ability of the state to seize it until a proper method of reuniting it with the actual owners was enacted.

(to be continued)

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Officials race to speed aid to Haiti (USA Today)
With food, water and other aid flowing into Haiti in earnest, relief groups and officials are focused on moving the supplies out of the clogged airport and to hungry, haggard earthquake survivors in the capital.

Palonek reports, that there are Millions of Dollars in Unclaimed … – PRLog (free press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 15, 2010 – Winning millions in a lottery is a dream come true for everyone that purchasing a ticket in these multi-million dollars lotteries. Every lottery players wants to be a winner but the sad truth however, is …

Online unclaimed property auction nets RI $40,000 (Boston Globe)
The Rhode Island treasurer’s office says an online auction of unclaimed property was so successful that the state will make it a regular event.

Unclaimed property could uncover extra cash – KLTV
DENTON, TX – Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced today that the city of Denton has reclaimed $2,434 in unclaimed property, and Denton County has reclaimed $27,176. Denton ISD also appears on the state’s Unclaimed Property List, with $4,429 …

(Part 2 of 2)

One of the main reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten money to the people it belongs to, they claim, is that they can’t be located. The issue is, who would think people like Angelina Jolie, ZsaZsa Gabor, Gerri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Marlon Brando and Jennifer Lopez could be hard to locate? Their names and the names of several other celebrities are just some of the names in the CA missing money list but they have not been contacted by the officials at the California Unclaimed Money Division. They’re all owed checks for lost assets by CA amounting from hundreds to the thousands as in the case of Angelina Jolie. This just proves CA 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 a recent ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned assets, saying that the state wasn’t doing enough to locate the rightful owners and for a while halted the state’s s ability to seize it until a better policy of reuniting it with the rightful owners has been adopted.

The total dollar amount for these funds in California averages five billion dollars annually – just imagine how much interest that generates for the state! Bill Palmer, an attorney in Sacramento who has battled in a number of cases involving California unclaimed property, sad that the state’s program was supposed to be a lost and found of sorts for Californians. Sadly, it has been turned into a profit generating ‘business’ in recent years.

The ban on the seizure of property by California 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 is handling California missing 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 do a thorough search for them.

–

Disbarred Orlando Attorney Going To Prison – WFTV
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former Orlando attorney, who admitted to stealing from his clients in foreclosure, will spend the next two years in prison. He was sentenced Thursday. Three years ago, Norman Moss was handling unclaimed money from the sale of a Lee …

Unclaimed money is owed to a million Oregonians – Statesman Journal
The state of Oregon is in possession of more than $360 million in financial assets and some of it could be yours, according to the State Treasurer’s office. The money, which really belongs to more than 1 million people, has ended up in the state’s …

State proclaims eBay auctions a success (The Providence Journal)
General treasurer will go forward with plans to routinely auction unclaimed property on eBay

$360 million unclaimed by Oregonians – kgw.com
SALEM, Ore. — The state’s got more than a quarter-billion dollars worth of your property. And the government would like you to come claim it, please. More than 1 million Oregon residents have unclaimed property currently held by the state, according …

Measure would eliminate Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office as a way to save state money (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
LINCOLN, Neb. – In another sign of Nebraska’s deepening budget woes, politicians are going after politicians as they try to save money.

(Part 1 of 2)

The California’s unclaimed funds program takes in about 300 million dollars each year. Why should you care? 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), some of that big pile of CA lost assets might very well belong to you!

Under the state of California unclaimed property law, abandoned assets 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 Department of the Treasury if their owners don’t come for them within a given time period. This ‘dormancy period’ varies from state to state, but in CA it’s three years. These abandoned assets then get moved to the California unclaimed property div, where they stay in the state’s general fund until they’re returned to their rightful owners. This is where officials working for the state who handled CA unclaimed cash were criticized recently. It appears that they were all to happy to locate and collect the lost funds from the establishments holding them but showed less interest in contacting the actual owners in the CA unclaimed property database.

(to be continued)

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Unclaimed property auction – WEAU-TV 13
Diamond rings, collectible stamps and coins, and gold pendants are among the unclaimed property that the state of Wisconsin will sell over E-Bay starting Monday. The Treasurer’s Office is holding an E-Bay auction of property that has been left …

2009′s top money-saving tips (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Minding your spending became cool in 2009 as Americans lost jobs, suffered freezes or cuts in pay, and were less able to get credit.

State Auctions Unclaimed Treasures on eBay – WBAY Green Bay
Diamond rings, collectible stamps and coins, and gold pendants are among the unclaimed property that the state of Wisconsin is selling over eBay. The auction started Monday at noon. The treasurer’s office routinely holds eBay auctions of property …

(Part 2 of 2)

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

The ban on the seizure of property by CA has now 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 California missing 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 properties and on how to do a thorough search for them.

–

Debbie’s Deals: Do You Have Money Waiting To Be Claimed? – Denver Channel
… those assets to the Unclaimed Property office of the Colorado State Treasurer. The state also gets the items from safe deposit boxes that are unused for a certain amount of time. So the state is holding antique guns, jewelry, coins, money and …

State says $360 million unclaimed by Oregonians – kgw.com
SALEM, Ore. — The state’s got more than a quarter-billion dollars worth of your property. And the government would like you to come claim it, please. More than 1 million Oregon residents have unclaimed property currently held by the state, according …

State says $360 million unclaimed by Oregonians (KGW NewsChannel 8 Portland)
SALEM, Ore. — The state’s got more than a quarter-billion dollars worth of your property. And the government would like you to come claim it, please. More than 1 million Oregon residents have unclaimed property currently held by the state, according to Treasurer Ben Westlund. The funds include inactive bank accounts, unpaid wages or commissions, life insurance policies and unreturned utility …

State Auctions Unclaimed Treasures on eBay – WBAY Green Bay
Diamond rings, collectible stamps and coins, and gold pendants are among the unclaimed property that the state of Wisconsin is selling over eBay. The auction started Monday at noon. The treasurer’s office routinely holds eBay auctions of property …

Unclaimed bail money headed to state coffers – Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE — Many have done their time and paid their fines, but for whatever reasons the former suspects neglected to claim bail money they posted when they first appeared in court. The courts this week will turn over $746,276 in unclaimed bail …

(Part 1 of 2)

The state of California’s unclaimed money program takes in about 300 million dollars every 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), some of that big pile of Cali unclaimed money could very well belong to you!

Under the state of California unclaimed property 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 handed over to the Department of the Treasury 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’s three years. These unclaimed monies then get moved to the California unclaimed property division, where they sit in the state’s general fund until returned to their rightful owners. This is where officials working for the state in-charge of the Cali unclaimed cash were recently criticized. It appears that they were eager to track down and collect the lost assets from the various establishments holding on to them but showed less interest in tracking down the actual owners in the Cali unclaimed property database.

One of the primary reasons for the government’s inability give back forgotten cash 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 track down? Their names and the names of several other famous people are some of the names in the Cali missing money list but they haven’t been contacted by the employees at the California Unclaimed Money Division. They are all owed checks for lost assets by Cali amounting 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 them to balance the budget deficit for as long as they can. As a matter of fact, there was a recent ruling by a federal judge on CA abandoned money, stating that the state wasn’t making enough of an effort to locate the rightful owners and has temporarily halted the ability of the state to take and hold it until a better policy of reuniting it with the rightful owners has been adopted.

(to be continued)

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Personal Finance: Finding unclaimed money – Sacramento Bee
Our recent story on hunting for long-lost money from the state controller’s office struck a chord. The call volume from Californians looking for billions in unclaimed property – everything from utility refunds to forgotten bank accounts or stock …

Unclaimed $10K piece of paper sat on family’s windowsill (Telegraph-Journal)
Santa Claus must have had to carry an extra sack for Steven and Dorothy Connick, just to hold the extra $10,000.

Millions Go Unclaimed At State Treasury – WISN.com
State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass is in Milwaukee trying to match unclaimed property with its rightful owners. She said the money has been untouched for five years or more, some of it dating back to the early 1970s. “Our statutes say that we can never …

Unclaimed bail money headed to state coffers – Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE — Many have done their time and paid their fines, but for whatever reasons the former suspects neglected to claim bail money they posted when they first appeared in court. The courts this week will turn over $746,276 in unclaimed bail …