State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced his Office’s Unclaimed Property Division returned nearly $12,000 to the City of Petersburg – funds to be put towards facility improvement projects to benefit the local community.
“It’s always an honor to partner with local government officials to return missing funds that would have otherwise gone unclaimed,” State Treasurer Riley Moore said. “Through new programs such as West Virginia Cash Now and updating our unclaimed property online database, we have made it a priority in my Office to modernize the process of returning lost funds to our citizens.”
The City of Petersburg received an unclaimed property check valued at $11,867.42.
“It was an easy process to work with Regional Treasury Representative John Paul Abbott and the State Treasurer’s Office to receive the City’s unclaimed funds,” Petersburg Mayor Gary Michael said. “We have been focused on updating community facilities, such as adding a dog park and installing new playground equipment at the city park for families to enjoy, and we plan to use this money to boost our city’s finances to continue serving the residents of Petersburg.”
Mayor Michael also encouraged Petersburg residents to visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to see if they have money being held by the State Treasurer’s Office.
The State Treasurer's Office has more than $400 million in unclaimed property in its database, with over 4,000 listings in Grant County.
What is Unclaimed Property?
Unclaimed property can include financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for one year or longer. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. (While the title includes the word “property,” it does not however include real estate.)
West Virginia’s unclaimed property laws protect the public by ensuring money and property owed to them is returned, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions, business associations, governments and other entities. The Treasurer seeks to reunite the unclaimed property, including uncashed paychecks, stocks, or safe deposit box contents, with its owner.
Nationwide, nearly 33 million people in the United States – one in every 10 – are estimated to have unclaimed property available for them to claim.
How Can I Find Unclaimed Property in My Name?
West Virginians searching for lost financial assets can go to www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov. In addition to finding property, the website will also help you track a claim.
A demonstration of how to use the Unclaimed Property search site is available on the Treasury’s YouTube page, at: https://youtu.be/K09yQ7YNKlE.
To search for lost financial assets outside West Virginia, visit www.MissingMoney.com.