State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced the Putnam County Commission will receive more than $360,000 in unclaimed property funds.

“My Office continues to be diligent in efficiently reuniting taxpayers with their lost funds at a record pace,” Treasurer Moore said. “I am proud to partner with the Putnam County Commission to return their unclaimed property and I want to encourage all West Virginians to check www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to see if they have missing funds to claim.”

Putnam County Commission’s unclaimed property claim, valued at $360,131.96, consisted of stale dated checks that were turned over to the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division. Commission President Andy Skidmore said the funds will be put back into the county’s general fund.

Treasurer Moore recently announced that his Office returned $1 million worth of unclaimed property to individuals, businesses and organizations during the month of August. Since the fiscal year began on July 1, the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division returned more than $4.1 million to rightful owners.

The Treasurer’s Office has more than $400 million worth of unclaimed property listings in its database. Currently, Putnam County has more than 84,000 unclaimed property listings worth more than $8.8 million for individuals, businesses and organizations.

Treasurer Moore encourages everyone to visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to find out if the Office is holding any assets 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.