Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick Tuesday announced that his administration has broken two more Unclaimed Property records, continuing a record-breaking streak for the fourth straight year.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, the Treasurer’s Office returned $50,234,802.92, surpassing the prior record set last year by $3,054,488.06. This is the first time the Treasurer’s Office has returned more than $50 million in one fiscal year. The Unclaimed Property Division also returned Unclaimed Property to more Missourians than any prior fiscal year, closing 233,769 accounts.
“I am incredibly proud of the work of the Unclaimed Property Division,” Treasurer Fitzpatrick said. “Returning Unclaimed Property to rightful owners has been a priority of mine since I took office in 2019. I have worked to improve the efficiency of our outreach to account owners through inter-agency partnerships and modernized marketing efforts. These record-breaking accomplishments are a reflection of this hard work and the dedicated staff in my office. As always, I encourage Missourians to search the Unclaimed Property list. It is free to claim your money and many claims can be submitted online.”
Treasurer Fitzpatrick is committed to finding innovative ways to streamline returning Unclaimed Property to Missourians. In 2020, Treasurer Fitzpatrick partnered with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to return Unclaimed Property to those who have applied for unemployment benefits. This partnership has returned over $8.8 million to nearly 30,000 Missourians. In 2019, he announced a new partnership with the Department of Social Services that created an automated system to match past-due child support cases with the Unclaimed Property database. This partnership has returned nearly $4.5 million to Missouri families.
State law requires financial institutions, insurance companies, public agencies and other business entities to turn over assets, including cash and the contents of safe deposit boxes, to the Treasurer’s Office. Most Unclaimed Property consists of cash from bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and contents of safe deposit boxes that have been abandoned. It can also include uncollected insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits, and wages from past jobs.
The Treasurer’s Office also holds more than 250 military medals and insignia that have been found in safe deposit boxes turned over to the office as Unclaimed Property. Photos and information about the last known owner can be found on ShowMeMoney.com/medals.
Treasurer Fitzpatrick currently manages over $1 billion in unclaimed assets in more than five million owner accounts. One in ten Missourians has Unclaimed Property, and the average return is nearly $300.
Since taking office in 2019, Treasurer Fitzpatrick has broken many unclaimed property records, including returning the first $1 million of his administration in less than 10 days, returning Unclaimed Property to more Missourians in one year than any prior treasurer, returning $100 million to Missourians faster than any prior treasurer, and returning more Unclaimed Property in one fiscal year than any prior year.
Missourians can search and claim unclaimed property 24/7 at ShowMeMoney.com.
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