Are you looking for unclaimed property that you or your business owns? There are millions of dollars of unclaimed property and assets out there that exist, and some of them might be yours. If you’re looking to reclaim that property, we have a few tips for you.
Finding Unclaimed Property
It’s important to note that there isn’t a centralized database in the United States that tracks unclaimed property or assets. This is done on a state-by-state basis, so you’ll need to put a little bit of work into it.
There’s really no way to simply put your name into a system and come up with all of the goods, you’ll have to have some ideal of what kind of unclaimed property or assets that might be available to you before you go hunting for it.
Figure Out What Assets You Might Have
Like I said, there’s no way for you to magically enter your name into a search, so your first job is going to be to figure out what assets might be out there for you. Take a look through whatever papers and documents you might have available to you and figure out where you might have hidden assets.
Search the Government Databases
While I said there isn’t any one place you can check, there are several places that you can punch your name in to and see if there is anything available to you. The federal government recommends searching the following places:
- Treasury Hunt: Unclaimed U.S. Securities and Payments
- HUD/FHA Mortgage Insurance Refunds
- Credit Union Unclaimed Shares
- National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (Individual State Unclaimed Asset Web Sites)
These organizations mostly have to do with finding unclaimed money and other assets.
Check Out Unclaimed.Org
Like the databases listed above, you can also do a search on Unclaimed.org. This is the closest thing to a “national database” that exists. Run by the National Association of State Treasurers, they are tasked with helping reunited property owners with their properties.
Check-in With States You Lived In
Chances are that any unclaimed property that you have out there is going to be held by a state that you previously worked or did business in. So, do an inventory of the states that you’ve previously lived or been associated with and write down potential assets that you might have there.
Then, you’ll want to take a look at the state government websites to figure out how to go about searching their databases for your assets and properties. While they might have similar ways to go about this, you’re best getting the actual advice from the state directly.
Have you previously found unclaimed property? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!
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Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!