Press Releases

State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced his Office’s Unclaimed Property Division returned more than $2.1 million worth of unclaimed property to residents, businesses and government agencies during the month of March.

“We continue to see strong payouts of unclaimed property claims, and I’m proud that we’re able to reconnect so many people with their lost assets,” Treasurer Moore said. “With inflation and rising fuel costs, every little bit helps, so I strongly encourage everyone to visit WVTreasury.com and search to see if we’re holding any money for you.”

The Unclaimed Property Division paid out 1,744 claims totaling $2,105,425 during the month of March.

Treasurer Moore said his Unclaimed Property Division has more than 3 million listings valued at more than $300 million. He encouraged everyone to visit www.wvtreasury.com and click on the “Search” button to see if the Office is holding any assets in their name.

“One thing people don’t realize is that we have holders submitting unclaimed property to our Office throughout the year, so it’s important for people to regularly check our website to see if anything has been submitted in their name,” Treasurer Moore said. “Just because you weren’t listed last year doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t have something for you today.”

Meanwhile, the Treasurer’s Office is working to improve the process of returning funds to West Virginia citizens.

During the recent legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 4511, which modernizes the state’s unclaimed property laws and reduces the amount of paperwork required to complete many transactions. The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice, also creates a new automated program for processing some common claims to get checks to people faster.

That new program will be unveiled later this year.


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 to them, 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.wvtreasury.com, then click on the large Unclaimed Property “Search” button to the right of the page under the heading, “Are We Holding Your Money?” In addition to finding property, the www.wvtreasury.com 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.FindMyFunds.com or www.MissingMoney.com.

The Treasury does not collect state taxes. Visit the The West Virginia State Tax Department for assistance.

West Virginia State Treasurer's Office
1900 Kanawha Boulevard
Capitol Complex Building #1, Room E-145
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
304-558-5000 Toll Free: 800-422-7498
Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm (ET)

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