Annual Unclaimed Property Report to Appear in Newspapers Beginning Sunday, Treasurer Stenberg Says

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More than 37,500 names were added to the Nebraska State Treasurer’s unclaimed property list in 2013 and are included in the annual Unclaimed Property Report to be published in March and April in Nebraska newspapers, State Treasurer Don Stenberg said today.

In all, the State Treasurer’s Office is holding more than $135 million for more than 350,000 Nebraskans, former Nebraskans, and heirs, Stenberg said. The 40-page report, published annually as required by state law, includes names of individuals, organizations, institutions, and businesses.

The tabloid insert will be published Sunday in the Omaha World-Herald and the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Publication dates in other daily newspapers are staggered to allow the Unclaimed Property staff time to process the unusual volume of claims filed as a result of the tabloid.

“Our database is constantly being updated, so I urge Nebraskans to check the annual report in their weekend newspapers and check online at www.treasurer.org. The search is well worth the time and effort. Many people are surprised at what they find and are grateful for the service,” Stenberg said. He emphasized that the Treasurer’s Office does not charge for the service and that the names in the tabloid represent only a fraction of all the names in the database.

The Nebraska Unclaimed Property statutes were enacted into law in 1969. Since then, more than $151 million has been paid out to rightful owners. So far in 2014, more than $1.6 million has been paid and more than 3,500 claims filed. Last year, more than $11.26 million was returned to rightful owners, up 66 percent over the previous year and the largest amount returned to owners since 2009.

Stenberg said the Treasurer’s Office is committed to locating the owners of large properties that have been on the unclaimed property rolls for years. Property included in the 2014 report is valued at more than $17.5 million. The ten largest properties, ranging from $49,000 to more than $500,000, are identified in the report by name and last-known county of residence. Those counties are Douglas, Madison, Webster, Hall, and Sarpy counties. The report contains 468 properties over $10,000.

“Again this year our annual report features Nebraskans from across the state who received unclaimed property through our office in the past year and who shared their experiences in the hopes of encouraging others to initiate their own searches,” Stenberg said. “The owners used the money to replace windows, pay bills, travel abroad, purchase historical artifacts at auction, and celebrate Christmas. We are happy to see owners reunited with their money and to know that we played a role in making that happen.”

Stenberg thanked the owners featured in the annual report for sharing their stories and invited others who may be interested in telling their stories to contact the State Treasurer’s Office Communications Director at 402-471-8884.

The tabloid will be published in daily newspapers in Nebraska according to the following schedule:

Readers are encouraged to search the tabloid publication for their own names as well as the names of relatives, businesses, and friends. They are also encouraged to search variations of their names. Each name is listed by last-known county of residence. Readers may use one of the following methods to search:

The Unclaimed Property Report includes these interesting facts:

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  • Jana Langemach
  • Director of Communications
  • 402-471-8884