Just the other day, something triggered me to check in with the Washington State Department of Revenue to find out whether there are any unclaimed funds for me. It is a ritual that I perform every couple of years.
You think I’m joking?
Actually, I’m not! The Washington State Department of Revenue makes an effort to return unclaimed property to its rightful owner. “Unclaimed property” most often includes bank accounts, stocks or bonds, insurance payments, contents of safety boxes, uncashed checks, or returns from utility companies. If an institution or organization has not had contact with the lawful owner of the property for three or more years, they turn such “unclaimed property” over to the state of Washington.
You may wonder “Who has funds and doesn’t claim them? Who would forget about checks or other sources of money?” I don’t know – but there seem to be quite a few folks out there who are unaware of property they own: According to the Department of Revenue, their Unclaimed Property Section received property worth more than $100 million during fiscal year 2008 alone!
You can check and see if some of that is yours:
Go to http://claimyourcash.org/ and find out if there is some money waiting for you (and post a comment if you receive a return.)