Missouri unclaimed money and unclaimed property totals have reached over $1 billion in over 5 million accounts. State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick and his missing money team are encouraging residents to check and see if they are owed any funds.
Missouri Unclaimed Money | How Does This Happen?
Like most states Missouri law states that any claims dormant for a certain period of time , usually five years, must be turned over to the state. This includes both money and property. In a recent article they named a few select items that have become unclaimed including:
an autographed photo of St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial, family photographs, $50,000 worth of gold coins, a copy of a land grant from the 1850s bearing the signature of then-President James Buchanan, and a clown costume.
News Tribune ~2/23/19
These items are turned over usually via abandoned security deposit boxes. According to Treasurer Fitzpatrick they receive hundreds of these boxes annually:
“There’s a lot of interesting stuff here that obviously we would like to get back to the people who own it — so that’s why we’re doing this (display), to try to raise awareness about the stuff we get,” Fitzpatrick said. “We get about 1,000 safe deposit boxes a year, and the unclaimed properties division has to open all the boxes and make an inventory of their contents.”
Missouri State Treasurer, Scott Fitzpatrick via News Tribune
If you are missing any items, either for yourself or a loved one, don’t wait too long. After four to five years, these items are put up in an annual auction. If you are simply a bystander, but interested in these items, the Missouri State Page offers a link to sign up for a mailing announcing any auctions the state holds.
Be sure to check and see if any of the Missouri unclaimed money and unclaimed property is yours!