(Part 1 of 2)

The Beaver State is known for being the home of the huge, 11 thousand foot Mt. Hood, but it is also home to a lesser known mountain that should be of greater interest to Oregon residents. Currently, Oregon unclaimed money totals more than $250 million. That's right, more than a quarter of a billion, owed to more than a million residents. This translates in to roughly 30% of Oregonians, which means the chances that any given citizen is due a portion of this cash are 1 in 3.

Every year, the state of Oregon receives between 30 and 40 million dollars in unclaimed property, but only returns roughly 10 million dollars to the actual owners. Since the owners of the other $20 to $30 million were not found, that cash gets added to the total, so that $250 million only stands to grow. While it is certainly tough to believe that 1 out of every 3 Oregon residents are due a claim, these monies really come from sources that we all use everyday. The OR Department of State Lands describes some of the most common sources as follows:"Unclaimed property includes savings accounts, checking accounts, unpaid wages or commissions, stocks, dividends proceeds, refunds, money orders, paid-up life insurance policies, utility deposits and contents of safe deposit boxes."

(to be continued)

–

Find your unclaimed money
Take 5 minutes to do a quick online check for funds you might have lost track of.

Latest
“We have put lots of

Most State Governments Launch Intense Awareness Campaigns to Inform of
The easiest way to find

(Part 2 of 2)

The reasons that it is hard to reunite unclaimed money with the rightful owners are numerous, but they generally all boil down to a lack of knowledge about where and when to search. While many web sites may claim to be "official" or say they have a complete database, only a handful actually provide legitimate listings, and even the actual state listings are incredibly unreliable. Once an asset is handed over to the state, someone at the state has to manually enter the record in to the missing money list, but this is not done immediately, so it's good practice to check back regularly. On top of that, because of all the varying dormancy period lengths, a person could perform a search on a given day and then give up if they found no claims, when if they had just checked again the following year they may have discovered a large claim that simply had a longer dormancy period.

When tracking down lost money, there's more to it than just plugging a name in to the search box of any old site. Issues that plague new searchers are easy to overcome, but the majority try to go out on their own and are unable to track down money that is owed to them, which is why the totals get bigger all across the nation. Spending a little time studying professional search practices can greatly increase the chances of filling our pockets with money we had forgotten about.

–

Better hurry up! $206m Mega Millions payload remains
Only Tuesday, a Powerball ticket sold in Georgia last summer worth $77million went

Lawmaker proposes TSA give pocket change left at checkpoints to USO
One lawmaker has his sights on the

Deadline looms for $16.5M lottery winner
On Monday, a $77 million lottery ticket went

Spare change left at airport checkpoints
Unclaimed money, typically consisting of loose coins passengers take out of their pockets, is turned into the TSA financial office.

(Part 1 of 2)

The Beaver State is known for being the home of the massive, 11,000 foot Mt. Hood, but it is also home to one lesser known mountain that should be of greater interest to Oregon residents. As it stands today, Oregon unclaimed money totals more than $250 million. That's right, more than a quarter of a billion, owed to more than 1 million people. This translates in to roughly 30% of Oregonians, which means the odds that any given citizen is due a chunk of this money are 1 in 3.

Each year, the state of Oregon takes in between 30 and 40 million dollars in unclaimed money, but only returns roughly 10 million dollars to the rightful owners. Since the owners of the other $20 to $30 million weren't found, that cash gets added to the total, so that $250 million will obviously grow. While it is certainly tough to accept that 1 out of every 3 Oregon residents are due a claim, these monies really come from sources that we all use everyday. The OR Department of State Lands describes some of the most common sources as follows:"Unclaimed property includes savings accounts, checking accounts, unpaid wages or commissions, stocks, dividends proceeds, refunds, money orders, paid-up life insurance policies, utility deposits and contents of safe deposit boxes."

Each type of property can become "unclaimed" after it has been deemed abandoned. To be considered abandoned, the asset must lie dormant for a period of 1, 2, 3, or 5 years, or in certain cases, 7 or 15 years (for money orders and traveler's checks, respectively). Usually though, 1 to 5 years is general dormancy period range for most of these monies. After the dormancy period has passed, the holder is required to pass the missing money along to the state, which then holds on to it until the actual owner is able to find it.

(to be continued)

–

Ohio getting more unclaimed money to owners
Officials say a state agency celebrating its 30th anniversary has reunited Ohioans with about $830 million they didn't realize was out there.

Ohio getting more
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTW) — Officials say a state agency celebrating its 30th anniversary has reunited Ohioans with about $830 million they didn't realize was out there. The Division of

Unclaimed Money: Missouri Woman Nets $6.1 Million, is Largest Known Property Claim in U.S. History
One unidentified Missouri woman received $6.1 million from an unclaimed property she didn't know she had.

(Part 2 of 2)

Each type of asset can be classified as "unclaimed" once it has been determined to be abandoned. To be deemed abandoned, the asset must sit inactive for a period of 1, 2, 3, or 5 years, or in certain cases, 7 or 15 years (for money orders and traveler's checks, respectively). Usually though, 1-5 years is the assumed dormancy period for most of these monies. After the dormancy period has gone by, the holder is required to pass the missing money along to the state, which then holds on to it until the rightful owner is able to track it down.

The reasons that it is difficult to reunite unclaimed property with the rightful owners are numerous, but they generally all come down to a lack of understanding about where and when to search. While a lot of sites may claim to be "official" or insist they offer a complete database, only a handful actually provide legitimate listings, and even the official state records are quite unreliable. Once an asset is handed over to the state, an employee at the state has to manually add the record in to the missing money database, but this is not done right away, so it's good practice to do a search often. Additionally, because of all the differing dormancy period lengths, a person might perform a search on a given day and then end their search if they found no claims, when if they had just checked back the year after they might have found a large claim that just happened to have a longer dormancy period.

When searching for lost money, there is a bit more to it than just plugging a name in to the search box of any old site. Issues that hinder rookie searchers are easy to circumvent, but the majority try to go out on their own and are unable to find money that belongs to them, which is why the totals get bigger continually all across the country. Investing a little time studying expert search techniques can greatly increase the odds of filling our wallets with money we didn't even realize we had.

–

Find your
This post comes from Brandon Ballenger at partner site

$77m Powerball ‘Lottery’ Ticket Still
In Georgia, all

Missouri Woman to Get $6.1 M Unclaimed Money Payout
Someone in Missouri will get very lucky today. That lucky person will be the recipient of the largest unclaimed money award in U.S. history: $6.1 million.

(Part 1 of 2)

The Beaver State is famous for being the home of the huge, 11,000 foot Mt. Hood, but it is also home to a lesser known mountain that is likely of greater concern to Oregon residents. Currently, Oregon unclaimed money has reached more than $250 million. You read that rigiht, more than a quarter of a billion, owed to more than a million residents. This translates in to roughly 30% of the population, which means the chances that any given person is owed a chunk of this cash are 1 in 3.

Each year, the state of Oregon receives between 30 and 40 million dollars in unclaimed property, but only returns roughly 10 million dollars to the actual owners. Since the owners of the other $20 to $30 million were not located, that money gets added to the total, so that $250 million only stands to grow. While it may be difficult to believe that 1 in 3 Oregon residents are owed a claim, these monies really come from sources that we all use everyday. The OR Department of State Lands describes some of the most common sources as follows:"Unclaimed property includes savings accounts, checking accounts, unpaid wages or commissions, stocks, dividends proceeds, refunds, money orders, paid-up life insurance policies, utility deposits and contents of safe deposit boxes."

(to be continued)

–

$77m Powerball ‘Lottery’ Ticket Still
In Georgia, all

TSA should not be keeping travelers' lost change: An editorial
Jeff Miller of Florida wants the

IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!