06/04/2021
An Important Web Site to check as you go through the Probate Process
By Sallie C Schneider, Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist for Smith and Wilson Realty
As a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist, I’m always looking for ways to provide extra help to my clients and the web site below has been a blessing for many of them.
As an example, my Uncle passed away several years ago and my Aunt was about to close his estate when I located close to $1000.00 in unclaimed money under his name. Her attorney never mentioned the site or may not have known about it.
The site I’m referring to is www.missingmoney.com.
I promise this is a legitimate site despite all the pop up ads on the site, I’ve recovered money for myself, family members and clients. (Note- Do not click on any of the pop-ads as you will be re-directed).
According to Wikipedia-
MissingMoney.com is a web portal created by participating U.S. states to allow individuals to search for unclaimed funds.[1] It was established in November 1999,[2] as a joint effort between the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) and financial services provider CheckFree.[3] By December of that year, 10 states had joined.[3][4]
As of 2017, 39 states were participating in the program.[1] In participating states, MissingMoney.com is the only official means of discovering unclaimed funds, and operates free of charge; other companies that claim to offer access to unclaimed funds in these states (and which assess a fee for doing so) are considered scams.[1] In January 2017, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota alleging that the state's use of MissingMoney.com as the sole means to distribute its unclaimed funds impeded citizens from receiving such funds.[5] The website also provides information on the programs of states not participating in the national program.[6]
The eleven states not using MissingMoney.com are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Wyoming.[1]
Obviously some more states may have been added since 2017, I do think the MissingMoney site will give you the legitimate site to the states listed above that do not use missingmoney.com but make sure you do your own research.
Some examples of money I’ve found were from: escrows from previous mortgages that were to be re-funded, refunds for premiums over paid on medical insurance, HSA accounts no longer used, over payment to local taxes from a previous employer and the list goes on.
Be sure to check under all names you go by (maiden names) or a loved one goes by and check every state you've/they’ve lived in.. There is documentation you have to send to get your money- you will have to provide personal information so they know the person claiming the money is legitimate. I’ve had to provide a copy of my marriage certificate and a copy of my passport/driver’s license to get my unclaimed funds and if the person is deceased it will walk you through the steps and show what you need to send. In order to see how much you will be getting back from various companies you do have to supply personal information. When you search for another person you can just see they have a claim out there- not how much.
Personally, I want any and all money big or small that’s due to me but I’ve had one relative say it’s only $50 so I’m not going to claim it- the process isn’t that hard and they deduct about a $1.00 per claim-this could vary by state. It usually takes about 4-6 weeks to get your check.
If you have any questions about using this site or need any help navigating through it, please reach out to me, I’m here to help.
www.missingmoney.com
Every year states receive lost and unclaimed money, property or other assets, and MissingMoney.com helps them find the rightful owners.
