New, Simpler Web URL, www.WVUnclaimedProperty.com, Launched to Make Searches Easier
State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced his Office’s Unclaimed Property Division returned more than $2.5 million worth of funds to individuals, businesses and other organizations during March – putting his Office in line for another record-breaking year of returning money to its rightful owners.
The Office processed $2,554,212 worth of payments during March – the fourth month in a row to see a top-10 monthly performance in unclaimed property returns.
“Our Office has now sent out $19.1 million worth of checks this fiscal year, already surpassing the $18.6 million record worth of returns we set last year – and we still have three months left to go before the fiscal year ends,” Treasurer Moore said. “We’re proud to continue setting records for how much money we’re returning back to our citizens.”
To make it easier for residents to find their money, Treasurer Moore announced a new, simpler website URL people can use to search for unclaimed property: www.WVUnclaimedProperty.com.
“This new website replaces the old web domain that was longer, more complicated and difficult to remember,” Treasurer Moore said. “We still have more than $300 million in unclaimed property waiting to be claimed, so I hope people will visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.com today and see if we’re holding any money for you.”
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.WVUnclaimedProperty.com to search if their name or business is listed in the database. You can also file a claim or check its status as that website. Individuals can also still visit 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?,” which will redirect to the unclaimed property website.
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.