i just responded to a thread where someone's family member got a letter offering to help her secure some monies that were due her from an insurance company.
this is a good opportunity to point out that almost every state has an UNCLAIMED PROPERTY/FUNDS website that can be reached through their state government pages.
when funds are left in a bank, insurance policy...a refund check is returned to a buisness or the irs, property is left in a safety deposit box...if the holder cannot locate the legal owner they must be turned over to the state they operate in. the state holds them for a period of time until they revert to state property. most states offer a search of these items through their government website. you just enter your name and birthdate and it will search for any name matches. if you ARE the person named (or the legal heir of that person) there are instructions on how to claim your property.
i've personaly know of several people who have found funds in old bank accounts, holdings from their parents in forgotten safety deposit boxes, and in one case some property that had been willed to a person by a distant relative.
do it on yourself, and if you have elderly family members consider doing it on every site for every state they have lived in or lived near (a co-worker found that her deceased grandfather had bank accounts in 3 states they were unaware of).
you don't have to pay a company to get the funds/items for you.
this is a good opportunity to point out that almost every state has an UNCLAIMED PROPERTY/FUNDS website that can be reached through their state government pages.
when funds are left in a bank, insurance policy...a refund check is returned to a buisness or the irs, property is left in a safety deposit box...if the holder cannot locate the legal owner they must be turned over to the state they operate in. the state holds them for a period of time until they revert to state property. most states offer a search of these items through their government website. you just enter your name and birthdate and it will search for any name matches. if you ARE the person named (or the legal heir of that person) there are instructions on how to claim your property.
i've personaly know of several people who have found funds in old bank accounts, holdings from their parents in forgotten safety deposit boxes, and in one case some property that had been willed to a person by a distant relative.
do it on yourself, and if you have elderly family members consider doing it on every site for every state they have lived in or lived near (a co-worker found that her deceased grandfather had bank accounts in 3 states they were unaware of).
you don't have to pay a company to get the funds/items for you.
