The State of Connecticut is holding onto more than $750 million in unclaimed property. More than 1.4 million people and businesses are owed money from sources such as forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits, and insurance policies.
The CT Big List puts all this information in one place. Anyone can search the online database to see if the state owes you.
Getting your money requires some work.
The State Treasurer’s Office says it typically takes about 90 days to process a claim once the proper documentation is received and some may take even longer due to their complexity.
That was Linda Fischl’s experience.
She filed a claim in September after discovering a $956 insurance policy in her late father’s name. Fischl called the state to pursue it as the executor of her father’s estate.
Fischl had to submit a number of documents along with her claim, including a copy of her driver license, her father’s social security card, a notarized Power of Attorney agreement and her father’s death certificate.
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The next step was obtaining a certificate from the Probate Court.
Fischl mailed everything to the State Treasurer’s Office and waited and waited.
“I just thought, well, this is incredible. Who else is going to do this? Are they really going to go through all of the steps and have to backtrack or know how to approach it," she said.
Fischl contacted NBC Connecticut Responds.
In response to our inquiry, a spokesperson for the Treasurer’s Office confirmed Fischl’s claim has been approved and a check is being processed.
To search for unclaimed property, go to www.ctbiglist.com.
- Enter at least a last name in the box provided and click the "Search Properties" button to get a list of matching names.
- Click the check box next to the property number displayed alongside the name you wish to inquire about and click the "Claim Properties" button. (You may select more than one property listed with a name.)
- To create a claim form, fill in claimant's information and click the "Submit Claim" button to get a pre-filled claim form containing the information you entered.
- Print out and complete the Claim Form and review the "Required Documentation" section of the form.
- Mail: * Completed Claim Form with claimant's signature and notarization; and * Required Documents listed on the instruction sheet to: State of Connecticut, Office of the State Treasurer, P.O. Box 5065, Hartford, CT 06102
Editor’s note: After this story aired, a spokesperson for the State Treasurer’s Office provided an updated statement to NBC Connecticut.
“The Treasurer's Office did not receive the Probate certificate until January. It paid the claim in April, within the usual 90-day timeframe once all documentation is received. Although the claim was in the Treasury for seven months, it took four months to receive all documentation. Then the 90-day period started – and was met.
The claim was approved independent of any inquiry from NBC Connecticut Responds and in the normal course of business.”
