This holiday season residents of Louisiana may receive a gift they were not expecting. State Treasurer John Schroder’s office is mailing out 85,000 unclaimed money checks totaling over $15 million. According to a report:
After cross-referencing the Louisiana Department of the Treasury’s database with the Department of Revenue’s updated addresses, officials said 85,000 individuals who were owed an aggregate $15 million were successfully matched. Recipients on the list whose claim did not exceed $1,500 can expect an official check from the state in November or December.
Officials said citizens who are owed larger amounts will be contacted.
Unclaimed property refunds received in the mail will range between $10 and $1,500. Each check includes the state seal and the department’s Unclaimed Property Division’s address and website on top of the check.
If you call 1-888-925-4127 the Louisiana Unclaimed Property Division will search for you. Their site indicates that millions are reunited with property owners each year. Their online searchable data base is update daily.
Palm Beach County Unclaimed Money Program Has Issues
There are billions in Florida’s unclaimed money coffers however in some counties that number could be more. According to a report, some poor bookkeeping could be the reason for millions in unclaimed money not properly being collected:
We discovered this problem when we checked with Palm Beach County to see if they received the nearly one million dollars its owed in unclaimed funds.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Hal Valeche was stunned to learn the county was owed a small fortune in unclaimed funds when we told him about the money in February.
Eight months ago CBS12 News Investigates took our questions to Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, who is in charge of the unclaimed money fund.
“We can’t make people take the money they’re owed,” Patronis said.
The state told us the five counties in our area were owed more than a million dollars.
Most of the money comes from businesses paying back unused funds and late or overpaid tax payments.
Palm Beach County’s total was more than $890,000.