During the first six weeks of the fiscal year, the Unclaimed Property Division of Rhode Island Treasury has successfully processed over 1,545 claims, returning $1,466,470 back to the community. During the same period last year, the program reunited 1070 people with just over $725,000.
“As these latest numbers show, our staff at the Unclaimed Property division is committed to making sure that Rhode Islanders are reunited with their property,” said Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner. “There is still hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unclaimed property waiting to be claimed. If it’s yours – we want to get it back to you.”
In the first six weeks of the fiscal year, the average amount returned to its proper owners was almost $950. Assets often go unclaimed because people or businesses didn’t know they had them or just forgot about them. Unclaimed property may include utility deposits, inheritances, stocks and bonds, bank accounts, uncashed payroll checks, life insurance policies, traveler’s checks, contents from deposit boxes, and other money.
Searching for and claiming unclaimed property is free and easy to do. Visit www.treasury.ri.gov and click the green “Unclaimed Property” button to access data from Rhode Island, along with 40 other states and the District of Columbia.
Staff from the Unclaimed Property division will have a booth at the Pawtucket Arts Festival on August 26, 2016 to help people search for their unclaimed property.
