The Texas Comptroller has issued the following press release:
(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is joining other unclaimed property administrators to celebrate the second annual national Unclaimed Property Day on Feb. 1.
"I am proud to have returned nearly $2 billion dollars to Texans since becoming Comptroller, and we are continually looking for new ways to return even more," Hegar said. “I am proud to have given back more money than any other Texas Comptroller since the Unclaimed Property program was launched in 1962. This effort is part of my continued commitment to focus on customer service and provide taxpayers with transparent and accountable government. The money belongs to the people of Texas, and I encourage everyone to visit ClaimItTexas.orgExternal Link: undefined to see if the state is holding some of their unclaimed property.”
According to officials with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), nearly 33 million people in the United States have unclaimed property. Unclaimed property includes things such as forgotten utility deposits or other refunds, insurance proceeds, payroll checks, cashier’s checks, dividends, mineral royalties, dormant bank accounts and abandoned safe-deposit box contents. Businesses generally turn property over to the unclaimed property program after it has been considered dormant for one to five years.
The Comptroller's office has returned more than $3 billion in unclaimed property to rightful owners since Texas' unclaimed property program began in 1962. The state is currently holding more than $7 billion in cash and other valuables through the program.
There is generally no statute of limitations for unclaimed property the state holds, which means there’s no time limit for owners to file a claim — they can do so at any time.
For more information about the unclaimed property program, or to search for unclaimed property and begin the claims process, visit the Comptroller's unclaimed property website, ClaimItTexas.orgExternal Link: undefined, or call 800-321-2274 (CASH). Texans are also encouraged to check MissingMoney.com or FindMyFunds.com to search for property that may belong to them in other states.
The Unclaimed Property Division is producing a series of videosExternal Link: undefined to promote its efforts by partnering with Chet Garner, who is the creator, host and executive producer of The Daytripper, an Emmy-award-winning Texas travel show airing on PBS stations across the country.