Today is the fourth annual National Unclaimed Property Day and the treasurer is urging residents to check CTBigList, the state’s unclaimed property website, to find and claim your lost or forgotten money.
“Unclaimed Property Day is a great opportunity to see if you have property waiting to be returned,” Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell said in a statement.
“We want to get this money back to its rightful owners, where it belongs. Finding your property and filing a claim has never been simpler. Don’t let this become a forgotten opportunity to reunite with your unclaimed property,” he added.
The treasurer said lost or forgotten money and other property is handed over to the Connecticut Office of the Treasurer for safekeeping until the rightful owners can claim it.
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It can include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits and refunds, annuities and more.
The treasurer said most unclaimed property owners are individuals, but corporations, municipalities, schools, nonprofits, hospitals and small businesses are also among those who’ve found they have money owed to them.
The treasurer said the state has returned more than $1 billion through the unclaimed property program and there have been improvements over the last year to the technology and process and $72 million was returned to 72,981 rightful owners in fiscal year 2023, which tripled the claims paid over the prior year.
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The state also participates in a nationwide unclaimed property lookup tool, MissingMoney.com, that allows users to search for funds in multiple states, according to the treasurer.
“While there’s no time limit to claim your funds, I encourage everyone to make searching for unclaimed property part of your annual financial routine,” Russell said. “Whether it’s your birthday, tax season, or National Unclaimed Property Day, find time at least once a year to search CTBigList.com and claim what’s yours so we can get your money back into your pocket.”