(Part 1 of 2)

The state of Washington is home to some of the world wide web's major players. Even Bill Gates, the U.S.' wealthiest man, made his home in Medina, Washington and his company, Microsoft, is based out of Redmond. Amazon.com, Classmates.com, Whitepages.com and Marchex also make Washington their home. The fact then that more than 1.5 million residents are owed more than 700 million dollars in unclaimed property in Washington State is ironic, sense looking for unclaimed property and money can be done on the web from the comfort of their home or the local Starbucks.

According to the Washington State Dept. Of Revenue site, typical unclaimed property includes abandoned insurance proceeds, bank accounts, bonds, stocks, safe deposit box contents, mutual funds, uncashed payroll, utility and phone company deposits, traveler's checks, insurance, and other types of financial assets. Unclaimed funds does not include most tangible assets such as real estate and vehicles. State laws require government entities, retailers, corporations, and utilities, insurance companies, banks, credit unions to turn Washington unclaimed property and money over to the state if the rightful owners can't be located after 3-5 years (depending on the item). The State's Unclaimed Money Law states: "State law protects unclaimed property until it can be returned. There is no time limit for filing a claim and rightful owners or their heirs can claim property reported since 1955. The state may auction the content of safe deposit boxes, however, if not claimed within five years."

Washington was the first state to have a working system for claiming forgotten property and money. In fact, the Washington State Dept. of Revenue recently received the Award for Outstanding Management and Organizational Initiative for its 'Unclaimed Property E-Claim System'. The total waiting to be reunited with their owners is still in excess of 500 million dollars however, despite the unclaimed property program being implemented to track down more owners of Washington unclaimed property and that makes claiming easier for them.

(to be continued)

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Dewan Negara: Unclaimed money to rise to RM95m (The New Straits Times)
THE total amount of money in the Unclaimed Money Registry is expected to go up to RM95 million this year.

Powerball prize still unclaimed - Monroe News Star

Powerball prize still unclaimed Monroe News Star, LA - 1 hour ago … lottery dollar all goes back into prizes, and the scratch-off games are a bit higher because we're able to supplement it with unclaimed prize money."

As number of bankruptcies rockets, there is £11.1m in cash lying unclaimed by creditors (The Scotsman: Business)
THE amount of money left lying unclaimed by the creditors of bankrupt Scots has more than trebled in the past three years, new figures have revealed.

in our view: Keep an eye on your money - Daily Herald

in our view: Keep an eye on your money Daily Herald, UT - 1 hour ago Nationally, there's almost $33 billion in unclaimed money from old payroll checks, utility refunds, trust distributions, stocks, banking or checking …

(Part 2 of 2)

Washington was the first state to have a working system for claiming forgotten money and property. As a matter of fact, the Washington State Department of Revenue recently received the Award for Outstanding Management and Organizational Initiative for its 'Unclaimed Property E-Claim System'. The total waiting to be found and claimed by the owners is still in excess of $500 million however, despite the unclaimed funds program being administered to reach out to more owners of Washington unclaimed funds and that makes claiming these funds easier for them.

The problem may lie in more than one factor - the fast paced lifestyle we live these days, the idea people have that piles of paperwork are required when dealing with any government agency, and plain disbelief. The more people jump from spouse to spouse (changing last names), jump from job to job, change addresses, the more likely it is that they are going to lose track of their financial assets like tax refunds from the IRS or inheritances from a relative that had passed away. Even those that are aware of the possibility that they could have unclaimed funds in Washington and other states might not bother doing a search at all assuming it is not worth the hassle.

The Unclaimed Funds Division takes in over 55 million dollars in abandoned or lost assets annually in Washington State and that amount adds up with every year that goes by. Educate yourself on all the various ways to search, how often to search, and where to search and get started tracking down money you could have coming ASAP! Who knows? For once, the government may owe you money this time instead of you owing the government.

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Unclaimed Money To Rise To RM95m This Year (Sin Chew Jit Poh)
KUALA LUMPUR: The amount of unclaimed money under the Unclaimed Money Registry is expected to go up to RM95 million this year, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah.

Founder of Found Money, Edward Palonek and Santa Claus Find People … - Free Press Release Center (press release)

Founder of Found Money, Edward Palonek and Santa Claus Find People … Free Press Release Center (press release), Canada - Dec 4, 2008 What a great Christmas gift, finding some of your missing money', says Palonek. 'Foundmoney was the first company to make the national database of unclaimed …

State To Auction Unclaimed Jewelry, Coins (WCVB Boston)
Just in time for Christmas, the state is planning to auction off thousands of dollars worth of unclaimed property that's been abandoned in safe deposit boxes across Massachusetts.

Dewan Negara: Unclaimed money to rise to RM95m (The New Straits Times)
THE total amount of money in the Unclaimed Money Registry is expected to go up to RM95 million this year. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah said a total of RM58 million was paid out to claimants last year, compared with RM15 million in 2002.

As number of bankruptcies rockets, there is £11.1m in cash lying unclaimed by creditors (The Scotsman: Business)
THE amount of money left lying unclaimed by the creditors of bankrupt Scots has more than trebled in the past three years, new figures have revealed.

(Part 1 of 2)

The state of Washington is home to some of the world wide web's biggest names. Even Bill Gates, the U.S.' richest man, made his home in Medina, Washington and his company, Microsoft, is based in Redmond. Whitepages.com, Amazon.com, Classmates.com and Marchex also make Washington their home. The fact then that over one and a half million residents are owed more than $700 million in unclaimed funds in Washington State is ironic, sense looking for unclaimed money and property can be done on the web from the comfort of their home or even the local Starbucks.

According to the Washington State Department Of Revenue web site, typical unclaimed funds includes abandoned mutual funds, uncashed payroll, utility and phone company deposits, traveler's checks, insurance, insurance proceeds, bank accounts, bonds, stocks, safe deposit box contents, and other types of financial assets. Unclaimed property doesn't include most tangible assets such as vehicles and real estate. State laws require government entities, retailers, corporations, and utilities, insurance companies, banks, credit unions to turn Washington unclaimed money and property over to the state if the rightful owners can not be located after three to five years (depending on the item). The State's Unclaimed Funds Law states: "State law protects unclaimed property until it can be returned. There is no time limit for filing a claim and rightful owners or their heirs can claim property reported since 1955. The state may auction the content of safe deposit boxes, however, if not claimed within five years."

(to be continued)

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Unclaimed money - The West Australian

Unclaimed money The West Australian, Australia - Nov 22, 2008 The Register lists the Payee’s name, Suburb where they lived, the amount held and the company that held the money. Please note that additional information …

IRS has unclaimed money - Liberty Vindicator

KCBS

IRS has unclaimed money Liberty Vindicator, TX - Nov 8, 2008 To view a list of Liberty County residents who have unclaimed money, visit www.thevindicator.com starting Sunday evening. Millions in Tax Refunds, Rebates Unclaimed WalletPop 105 stimulus checks for Racine County residents are unclaimed Journal Times IRS Has Unclaimed Checks for 107 County Residents Cape May County Herald TMCnet all 36 news articles

Money Still Available From Unclaimed Stimulus Checks (KSLA-TV Shreveport)
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - There's money up for grabs, as IRS says some people still haven't claimed their economic stimulus checks from earlier this year.

Conn. trims deficit, but won’t seek bottle deposit money (Journal Inquirer)
HARTFORD — The legislature on Monday shaved a modest $72 million off the budget deficit in special session, approving most measures proposed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

State To Auction Unclaimed Jewelry, Coins (WCVB Boston)
Just in time for Christmas, the state is planning to auction off thousands of dollars worth of unclaimed property that's been abandoned in safe deposit boxes across Massachusetts.