Illinois recently published a list of unclaimed property owners.
To some the Sunday paper means savings via coupons. The February 12,2006 edition of the Sun-Times could mean much more for some Illinois residents.
Inserted inside the Sun-Times is a 108-page list of people that have money being held by the state. This list of 59,280 new names of people and businesses add to the more than 5.7 million others from previous years. The state estimates it has hundreds of millions of dollars waiting to be collected.
Where does this money come from? It comes from accounts that have been dormant for at least five years. These accounts include but are not limited to: bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, last paychecks never picked up, dividend checks sent to old addresses, proceeds of an estate, stock shares, and insurance policy payments.
By law, the money gets sent to the state, which holds on to it. The State Treasurer then makes attempts to return this money to the rightful owner. Yes, the state does want you to come and claim your share.
What do you do if you are listed, besides jumping up and down for joy? Mail a written inquiry to state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka’s office or call the office at (866) 458-7327.
If you believe you could be in the database from past years go to www.cashdash.net and enter your name in the search engine. You may also write to Illinois State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 19495, Springfield, Ill. 62794-9495.
Not an Illinois resident, but after reading this believe you may have money due from another state? There is still the opportunity to check. CashUnclaimed.com has pulled together information from state and federal databases into one large searchable database to assist you in finding and claiming your unclaimed money.
