Texas Publishes Unclaimed Property List
According to confirmed sources, 25% of Texans have unclaimed property or money that is waiting to be claimed. The state treasury has been adopting various awareness programs to deliver the message to the largest chunk of the population.
Every media avenue has been utilized as part of the unclaimed property reclaims drive so that more number of Texans are benefited. The use of print media is also a big part of this strategy to reunite the owners of unclaimed property with their lost funds or assets.
On Dec 5, 2010, Texas published its unclaimed property list in regional newspapers, where the average unclaimed money, in the form of abandoned stock certificate or safe deposit box contents, is at least $250.
“This is an opportunity to get money back from the state government,” said Texas Comptroller Susan Combs. “It’s yours — claim it.” Combs returned more than $163 million to its owners in fiscal 2010, a $16 million increase compared to 2009.
The Panhandle Unclaimed Property List appeared in the Sunday, Dec. 5 editions of the Abilene Reporter-News, Amarillo Globe-News, Lubbock Avalanche Journal, San Angelo Standard-Times and the Wichita Falls Times-Record-News. It also included the names of unclaimed property owners in 76 counties who have had at least $250 in unclaimed property reported to the state within the past year.
“Even if you don’t find your name on the newspaper list, the publication should serve as a reminder to check the Unclaimed Property website at www.ClaimItTexas.org,” Combs said. “In our online database, you can find any amount of unclaimed property, large or small, from any year.”
As of the last official estimate, Texas has as much as $2.2 billion in unclaimed property and this total will continue to expand. Most of these unclaimed properties are because of old bank accounts and safe deposit boxes, utility deposits, insurance policies, uncashed checks, unclaimed wages and other money that is eventually turned over to the state.
In an effort to reunite people with their money, the Comptroller will publish six regional unclaimed property lists in more than 30 Texas newspapers from December 2010 through April 2011.
