As each state unclaimed wealth offices take in more than they dole out, have you ever wondered, how much of it belongs to you?



There's almost $33 billion in unclaimed money from old payroll checks, utility refunds, trust distributions, stocks, banking or checking accounts, lost riches and assets, certificates of deposit and the contents of safe deposit boxes, according to estimates by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.

According to Missingmoney.com, within the United States alone, billions of dollars of unrequested unclaimed money and property is collecting dust in state Abandoned Property offices. If all accounts combined to include the funds held world wide by similar organizations in other countries, the sum of unrequested unclaimed money and property could exceed $500 billion dollars.

Anything you're supposed to keep for 30 years is bound to slip your mind. Isn't it nice that someone else is keeping track of it for you, even though they don't have the most accurate of tracking systems?

The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators is an organization that represents the Unclaimed Money Bureau of each State and tries their best to protect and help Americans find their missing money from lost assets. They are not Heir Locator or Money Finder's as they are sometimes called.

Money Finder's are paid professional finders. Someone who is in the business of trying to find and assist the owners of unclaimed funds. In most States, if you do choose to use a finder, a full disclosure contract must be signed between the finder and the owner and must specify where the money is, what the money represents, the amount of the funds, the finder's fee (no more than X%, as provided by that State's statute), and how much the owner receives after the fee.

Every day, for various reasons, People move away and do not update their address, they lose track of some of their investments, they die without a will, and who knows why else...but, they leave money in banks, in utility accounts, security deposits, and many number of other ways. Some of these monetary items end up in the state's possessions after they are declared abandoned by the organization or loan company that held them.

These forgotten bank accounts, un-cashed stock dividends, insurance payments, safe deposit box contents, utility deposits, travelers checks, money orders and other financial instruments are turned over to the state's Treasurer's Escheats, Comptroller's, or Revenue office who then try to track down the owners and return the money.

By the amount of unrequested and unclaimed money and property on record, it appears these state offices are under staffed and fail badly in locating the owner's of the unclaimed money and property. All 50 states have a Treasury Office and forgotten assets or some similarly named division. This is the office responsible for maintaining the unclaimed money and property and handling claims for it.

Some states have limitations on how long they keep left behind wealth before turning it over to state coffers; however they must keep it until the owner is found. Some states even pay interest on the money if the property was originally an interest bearing instrument. You must check with your individual state and find out what their procedures are.

If you speculate you may have unclaimed money and property held by your state, you should seek out the correct state agency to find out whether your name, or in the case it is the estate of a deceased individual, their name is on the list.

Each state maintains a publicly available list of left behind assets holdings. If you or the person you represent is on the list your next step is to file a claim and return the form with the necessary certification or proof of ownership. Requirements for proving ownership vary from state to state, based on the amount of the claim and other factors.

Acceptable identification many include copies of driver's licenses, receipts, social security cards and numbers, bank account numbers, savings passbooks, checking account and bank statements, or other notarized documents.

It has been theorized that ten percent of the U.S. population is owned money from left behind wealth and unclaimed money and property treasury office coffers. The state departments do not have the resources to investigate every case; therefore much of it goes unclaimed. There are professional finders, or heir searchers who locate the owners of unclaimed money and property and charge a fee or commission in exchange.

Private Detective's of unclaimed money and property generally limit their activity to large estate findings. Be careful if you enlist a Heir Locator's to locate your potential unclaimed money and property.

Unclaimed money can be easily obtained once you know how and where to look. Take a gander at the amounts these states are holding:

* The state of Colorado is home to more than $50 million in unclaimed money.

* Alabama's unclaimed money rolls have swelled to nearly $400 million this year.

* The KY State Treasurer is now holding more than $150 million in unclaimed property.

* Residents of Hawaii stand to share $130 million in unclaimed money.

* Ohio is one of the few states to be home to more than a billion dollars in unclaimed assets.

* Nevada is currently holding over $200 million that belongs to the citizens who just need to step forward and claim it.

* North Carolina's unclaimed money now stands at a record $700 million.

* The state of Pennsylvania is currently holding over $1 billion of the citizens money.

All you need to do is learn how to perform a thorough lost asset search.

You'll find a comprehensive Guide at: http://unclaimed-money.nichetray.com