State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced today that the State Treasurer’s Office Unclaimed Property specialists will be available at several upcoming events to help Nebraskans search for money they didn’t know they had.

Unclaimed Property specialists will be at the following locations to help Nebraskans search for unclaimed property and file claims:

• Fourth of July celebration, Seward, July 4
• Madison County Fair, Madison, July 10-15
• Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island, Aug. 24-Sept. 3
• Husker Harvest Days, Grand Island, Sept. 11-13
• Applejack Festival, Nebraska City, Sept. 15-16
• Fall Home and Garden Expo, Omaha, Oct. 19-21
• Kearney Gateway Ag Show, Kearney, Nov. 13-15

“An important part of the work of our Unclaimed Property Division is outreach, making sure Nebraskans know about the state’s unclaimed property program and how to search for property for themselves, their friends and relatives, and their businesses and organizations,” said Treasurer Stenberg.

“We are holding more than $100 million of property for more than 350,000 Nebraskans or former Nebraskans or heirs. Given those statistics, you have a one in five chance of finding property that belongs to you,” Stenberg noted.

Treasurer Stenberg said, “One of the pleasures of this office is returning money to its rightful owners and hearing the stories of Nebraskans and former Nebraskans who are genuinely grateful, surprised, and sometimes overwhelmed at the amount of money returned to them.” While the average claim is about $450, the largest single claim paid in 2011 was $168,000. The two largest single claims paid so far this year are $198,831 and $254,433.

Unclaimed property consists of cash and other personal assets that are considered lost or abandoned after an owner cannot be located for a specified period of time. The property is turned over to the state by banks, insurance companies, merchants, and other businesses. Among the most common forms of unclaimed property are dividends, dormant accounts, gift certificates, insurance payments, matured CDs, lost IRAs, wages, rebates, stock and mutual funds, utility deposits, and abandoned safe deposit boxes. Unclaimed property does not include land, real estate, vehicles, or tax refunds.

Unclaimed property is held by the state until an owner or heir can be documented; an owner or heir never loses the right to file a claim.

In addition to visiting unclaimed property specialists at the upcoming events, Nebraskans also may search for unclaimed property using the following methods:

• Check the Nebraska State Treasurer’s website at www.treasurer.org. Type a name in the box on the home page, or click on the Search for Unclaimed Property tab in the left navigation pane. For amounts under $300, owners may be able to file their claims online through the website. Claims take three to four weeks to process.
• Call the Unclaimed Property Division at 1-877-572-9688 toll free outside of Lincoln or 402-471-8497 in Lincoln. Phone calls are taken between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays
• File a claim in person by visiting the Unclaimed Property office at 809 P Street in Lincoln or in the State Treasurer’s Office in Suite 2005 of the State Capitol. Bring your driver’s license and Social Security card as well as documentation if filing on behalf of a business or a deceased family member.