(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is joining other unclaimed property administrators to celebrate the fourth annual national Unclaimed Property Day.
“I am proud to have returned more than $2 billion to Texans since becoming Comptroller, including a record $344 million last fiscal year, and we are continually looking for new ways to return even more,” Hegar said. “This effort is a testament to the hardworking folks in our Unclaimed Property Division. The money belongs to the people of Texas, and I encourage everyone to visit ClaimItTexas.gov to see if the state is holding some of their unclaimed property.”
According to officials with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, one in seven people in the United States have unclaimedproperty. Unclaimed property includes things such as forgotten utility deposits or other refunds, insurance proceeds, payroll checks, cashier’s checks, dividends, mineral royalties, dormant bank accounts and bandoned safe-deposit box contents. Businesses generally turn property over to the unclaimed property program after it has been considered dormant for one to five years.
The Comptroller’s office has returned more than $4 billion in unclaimed property to its owners since Texas’ unclaimed property program began in 1962. The state is currently holding more than $8 billion in cash and other valuables through the program. The average value of an approved claim is more than $1,000.
There is generally no statute of limitations for unclaimed property the state holds, which means there’s no time limit for owners to file a claim — they can do so at any time.
For more information, or to search for unclaimed property and begin the claims process, visit the Comptroller’s unclaimed property website, ClaimItTexas.gov. Texans are also encouraged to check MissingMoney.com or FindMyFunds.com to search for property that may belong to them in other states.