Consumers have a lot of money owed to them that many don’t know about, and in Maryland, the state Comptroller’s Office just reunited hundreds of residents with more than $271,000 of it.
Comptroller’s Office staff set up a booths at the Maryland State Fair, giving Maryland residents a chance to see if they have unclaimed money from old bank accounts, utility deposits, insurance companies, wages, safe deposit boxes or other sources.
Companies are required to notify the Comptroller if such unclaimed funds have been unclaimed after three years.
More than 1,360 people made inquiries at the booth and 259 of them discovered a total in excess of $271,000 in unclaimed money.
The Comptroller’s Office says one attendee learned of an unexpected windfall of $71,517.
“Several hundred people had a great time at the State Fair and learned about money that is rightfully theirs. I call that a red-letter day,” Comptroller Peter Franchot said in a statement.
The Comptroller’s Office also regularly seeks out owners of unclaimed funds by searching tax records.
And anyone living in Maryland, or who has in the past, can conduct their own online search by clicking on “unclaimed property” to see if their name is on the list.
