By Matthew Young, RealWV
State Treasurer Riley Moore, on Thursday, visited the Greenbrier County Commission to deliver more than $30,000 worth of unclaimed property funds.
“This has been a record-breaking year for the State Treasurer’s Office,” Moore told those in attendance for the presentation. “We’ve returned more unclaimed property within this fiscal year than at any time in state history.”
The Unclaimed Property program was established through the State Treasurer’s Office to assist West Virginians in locating lost, abandoned, or forgotten financial assets. These financial assets typically exist in the form of trust funds, insurance benefits, inheritance, and settlements. However, unclaimed property funds may exist for numerous other reasons.
To date, the State Treasurer’s Office has returned approximately $282 million in unclaimed property funds to West Virginians. Thursday’s check to the Greenbrier County Commission was for $31, 508.99. On hand for the presentation were Greenbrier County Commissioners Lowell Rose and Blaine Phillips, and Commission President Tammy Tincher.
“Why has [this] happened?” Moore asked. “Because we modernized the Unclaimed Property Act in the Legislature. We’ve changed a lot of things that have made this process easier and get the money back.”
“To find it (unclaimed property funds), we have a database that allows people to be able to search online,” Moore added. “And we now have the Cash Now program that just delivers checks in between $100, and $5,000 once we verify those individuals on our end. Automatically we just go ahead and send those out.”
“So, It’s been a record-breaking year,” Moore concluded.
To search for unclaimed property, individuals should visit wvunclaimedproperty.com. The only information required to begin searching is a last name or business name.
To utilize the Cash Now program, the unclaimed property must be owned by a single entity or individual, and be valued at less than $5,000. The Treasurer’s Office must also be able to verify ownership without the need for additional documentation.
