Finding Unclaimed Property

When someone dies, especially without a will or a list of their property, some estate assets may be missed during estate settlements. In our mobile society, money or property may also be unclaimed because an individual moves without leaving a forwarding address.

Inactive savings and checking accounts, uncashed checks, securities, dividends, insurance refunds or claims, oil royalties, wages, utility refunds and deposits, bail bonds and child support payments are examples of unclaimed property. The property is reported as unclaimed and forwarded to the North Carolina Escheat and Unclaimed Property Program of the Department of the State Treasurer.

Access MissingMoney.com
to search for unclaimed assets for
your family. North
Carolina and 27 other states
maintain this website.

Individuals can search for unclaimed assets from family estates or just research their own or relatives’ names to see if there are any assets that were reported as abandoned by financial or other institutions.

Private investigators and organizations advertise in the media, offering services to find unclaimed assets. They charge a fee for research and for filing a claim on the owner’s behalf. However, individuals can contact the state treasurer’s office directly and claim the property at no cost.

North Carolina and 27 other states maintain an Internet web site that lists unclaimed property. The site MissingMoney.com is affiliated with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators through the National Association of State Treasurers. National searches of the site can be made by individual, family, social security number or business name. North Carolina searches are done by the name of the individual.

Individuals can submit a claim for property held by the state of North Carolina through the web site or receive a claim form and instructions on how to file the form through regular mail. To inquire about unclaimed property by mail, write to N.C. Department of State Treasurer, Escheat and Unclaimed Property Program, 325 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603-1385 or call (919) 508-5979

In filing a claim, individuals must indicate the name and address the property is listed under, even if the name and address has changed, or say that they are the beneficiary of a deceased individual listed as having property held on their behalf by the State of North Carolina.