Missing Money
Free website helps Texans find missing money — and it feels like winning the lottery
Nothing beats the feeling of finding a $20 bill in the jeans you just washed. Now just imagine how great it would feel to find hundreds of dollars of money — your own "missing" money — using a free website.
Whether it's from a bank account you forgot to close, uncashed checks, pensions, utility refunds or security deposits, there are billions of dollars to be claimed through each state's unclaimed property program. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), there is currently about $3.4 billion in property that has not been claimed and approximately $586 million in shared property that has been partially claimed and paid to some of the owners, and that's just within Texas.
NAUPA says that one in four Texans has unclaimed property and in 2014 alone the state returned more than $200 million to owners.
NAUPA says that one in four Texans has unclaimed property and in 2014 alone the state returned more than $200 million to owners.
So how do you find out if you might be owed unclaimed money?
MissingMoney.com is an official, searchable database for NAUPA, and although not every state is currently included in the database, Texas residents' records are indeed available.
With a simple search using a first name, last name and state of residence, users can find out whether they have money to claim and it even lets you know if the amount to be claimed is above or below $100.
With sufficient proof of ownership — which can be submitted through the site — it takes three to four months for the state's program to review, process and pay claims in Texas. You can still file a claim if the person to whom the property belongs is deceased as long as you can provide documentation that you are the rightful heir to that individual.
Although I didn't find any "missing money" in my own name, I discovered that my grandfather actually had five listings under his name and the site indicated that each one was for an amount over $100. Thanks to this discovery, my father — his heir — has gone forward to claim the money and is currently awaiting payment from NAUPA.
Another Houstonian received a check for $1.23 from Comcast after checking the site. It was a stock dividend that didn't get forwarded to him in the mail and was turned over to the state of Texas.
Whether it's $1.23 or $1,000, one simple online search might just make you some money. Can Google promise that?
