$9 Million in Unclaimed Property in NW Missouri

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (ZWY-ful) announced, as of this morning, a record $36.5 million worth of Unclaimed Property has been returned to a record 123,000 Missourians in fiscal year 2012 – with three weeks remaining in the fiscal year. With the announcement, Treasurer Zweifel has now returned $119 million since 2009, which is 35 percent of all Unclaimed Property ever returned.

This is the fourth year in a row Treasurer Zweifel has broken the accounts returned record, and third year he has broken the monetary record.

“It’s simple – my administration is getting more money out the door faster than ever before, all while reducing costs,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “Each day we use innovative tools, streamlined practices and top-notch customer service to get Missourians their money. We still have three weeks to go, and I expect returns to grow – I know Missourians do too.”

Unclaimed Property started being returned in 1985, and became part of the State Treasurer’s office in 1993. The previous return records, set in fiscal year 2011, were $36 million in Unclaimed Property to 120,000 accounts.

Treasurer Zweifel has made it possible for Missourians to file their claims online, allowing more than 50 percent of all claims to be filed without a single piece of paper. He created an email notification system through which Missourians can register their information and an email is sent any time new Unclaimed Property matching their information is added. Treasurer Zweifel has placed Unclaimed Property Search Kiosks in Columbia, Mo., Joplin, Mo., and most recently O’Fallon, Mo., allowing Missourians to search for their property while conducting business at local driver’s license bureaus. He has also conducted several regional telethons, allowing thousands of Missourians to call in and check if they have Unclaimed Property even if they do not have a computer.

“I am looking for new ways to make it easier for Missourians to work with their government all the time, and Unclaimed Property is one of the best examples of the success strong customer service can provide,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “Thousands of Missourians visit www.ShowMeMoney.com each week, and each week I add new Unclaimed Property. My team will continue to do all it can to make it as easy as possible for Missourians to claim property that belongs to them.”

Treasurer Zweifel currently holds nearly $700 million in Unclaimed Property for 4.3 million account holders that may be searched for and claimed at www.ShowMeMoney.com.

Amount of Unclaimed Property still to be returned by region (counties):

Kansas City Region (Bates, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, Ray): $99 million in more than 755,000 accounts.

- 12 accounts with more than $100,000 each from Jackson County.

Mid-Missouri Region (Audrain, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Cooper, Dent, Gasconade, Howard, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Montgomery, Morgan, Osage, Pettis, Phelps, Pulaski, Saline): $24.5 million in more than 265,000 accounts.

- Four accounts with more than $100,000 each in mid-Missouri – two accounts in Boone County and one each in Camden and Cole counties.

Northeast Missouri Region (Adair, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan): $7.4 million in more than 71,000 accounts.

Northwest Missouri Region (Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Worth): $9 million in more than 89,000 accounts.

- One account with more than $100,000 in Buchanan County.

Southeast Missouri Region (Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Wayne): $14.3 million in more than 170,000 accounts.

- One account with more than $100,000 in Butler County.

Southwest Missouri Region (Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Polk, Shannon, St. Clair, Stone, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Webster, Wright): $35 million in more than 383,000 accounts.

- One account with more than $100,000 in Jasper County.

St. Louis Region (Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Warren, Washington): $208 million in more than 1.3 million accounts.

- There are 19 accounts with $100,000 each in them - 15 of these accounts are from St. Louis County, 3 are from St. Louis City and one is from Franklin County.

About Treasurer Zweifel’s Unclaimed Property

State law requires financial institutions, insurance companies, public agencies and other business entities to turn over assets to Treasurer Zweifel’s office that belong to a customer, client, employee or other owner if there have been no documented transactions or contact with the owner for five or more years.  Most Unclaimed Property consists of cash from bank accounts, stocks, bonds and contents of safe deposit boxes that have been abandoned. It also can include uncollected insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits and wages from past jobs. Treasurer Zweifel’s office does not handle real property such as land, houses, cars and boats. There is $700 million in Unclaimed Property maintained by Treasurer Zweifel. Treasurer Zweifel never charges for the return of Unclaimed Property.