During National Unclaimed Property Day, State Treasurer Riley Moore visited Bridgeport on Thursday, February 1, to present an unclaimed property check worth nearly $30,000 to benefit WVU Medicine United Hospital Center.
“United Hospital Center is one of the leading providers of high quality and innovative patient care in the North Central West Virginia region, and I’m proud my Office was able to return this large sum of money back to the hospital,” Treasurer Moore said. “While we have been partnering with hospitals across the state, I want to encourage individuals and organizations to keep checking our unclaimed property database because you never know if there may be unclaimed funds in your name.”
Treasurer Moore presented an unclaimed property check worth $28,372.95 to United Hospital Center President & CEO Dr. David F. Hess and Vice President of Finance/CFO Jim Rutkowski at the hospital Thursday afternoon. The majority of the funds were from insurance policy benefits that were turned over to the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division.
Pictured left to right: UHC Vice President of Finance/CFO Jim Rutkowski, UHC President & CEO Dr. David F. Hess, State Treasurer Riley Moore
“We’re grateful to the State Treasurer’s Office for reaching out to our hospital to return these funds,” Dr. Hess said. “Anytime we receive a sizeable amount of money for our hospital, we use it to fulfill needs within our community. Our hospital serves a lot of patients, and some of them don’t have insurance. We provide indigent care for those patients that don’t have a lot of resources.”
Observed on February 1, state officials across the nation celebrate National Unclaimed Property Day by raising awareness and educating the public about unclaimed property programs by encouraging people to search for their lost funds. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, over $5.4 billion worth of unclaimed property has been returned to its rightful owners through unclaimed property programs during the previous fiscal year.
“Through our efforts to modernize the state’s unclaimed property program, we have reunited citizens and West Virginia businesses with their money at the fastest pace in state history,” Treasurer Moore said. “Last fiscal year, my Office shattered a state record by returning $26.8 million worth of unclaimed property to its rightful owners.”
The State Treasurer’s Office has more than $400 million worth of unclaimed property listings in its database. Currently, Harrison County has more than 142,000 unclaimed property listings worth more than $20 million for individuals, businesses and organizations.
Treasurer Moore encourages everyone to visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to find out if the Office is holding any money for you or your family.
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.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.