CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. – State Treasurer Riley Moore visited Charles Town on Monday to present two significant unclaimed property checks: one to the City of Charles Town and a second to a private estate.
Treasurer Moore presented Mayor Bob Trainor and members of city council with a $20,059.06 check for unclaimed property in the city’s name. The funds were from stale-dated checks that had not been cashed.
“Our Office works with local governments across the state every day to make sure any funds available in their name are promptly returned to them,” Treasurer Moore said. “This is the people’s money and we want to make sure it’s returned to them as quickly as possible.”
Treasurer Moore also presented a $52,162.49 check to local attorney Henry Morrow as part of a private estate claim. The funds were from a savings account from an individual who had passed away in recent years; Morrow was representing the individual’s estate.
“When a family member dies, relatives often don’t know what property or accounts the person has left behind in their name,” Treasurer Moore said. “We also know estate matters can sometimes be sensitive. That’s why our Office is always willing to go the extra mile to work with families and their attorneys to find any property that person might have left behind and make sure it’s returned and distributed while respecting that person and their family’s wishes.”
Unclaimed property can include financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for one year or longer. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards.
West Virginia’s unclaimed property laws protect the public by ensuring money and property owed to them is returned to them, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions, business associations, governments and other entities. The Treasurer seeks to reunite the unclaimed property, including uncashed paychecks, stocks, or safe deposit box contents, with its owner.
Nationwide, nearly 33 million people in the United States – one in every 10 – are estimated to have unclaimed property available for them to claim.
West Virginians searching for lost financial assets can go to www.wvtreasury.com, then click on the large Unclaimed Property “Search” button to the right of the page under the heading, “Are We Holding Your Money?” In addition to finding property, the www.wvtreasury.com website will also help you track a claim.
A demonstration of how to use the Unclaimed Property search site is available on the Treasury’s YouTube page, at: https://youtu.be/K09yQ7YNKlE.