$11 million in unclaimed cash belongs to Mainers

AUGUSTA — The Office of the State Treasurer has received more than $11 million in the form of unclaimed property in the past year, and Mainers are being urged to check whether any of that cash belongs to them.

“Unclaimed property” is money owed to Maine people by third parties, such as former employers, banks or utility companies. Organizations are required to give unclaimed property to the state treasurer after a specified period of time, after which the owner of the unclaimed property can retrieve it from the state.

“I encourage everyone to take a look at the unclaimed property website for property that might belong to them, their business, or friends and family members,” said Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston. “There are all sorts of things on there just waiting for Mainers to claim them.”

Even if you have done everything right, you could have unclaimed property. It could be from a forgotten account, an overpaid bill or uncollected wages. This money could be unclaimed as a result of a change in name, addresses or bank account.

You can search the treasurer’s unclaimed property list at maine.unclaimedproperty.com/Property/SearchIndex. If you find your name, or the name of your current or past businesses on the list, you can claim the property immediately online — for free.

You can also search your friends and family and let them know about unclaimed properties that may belong to them. To find out if you are owed money in other states, missingmoney.com serves as a national database.

The Office of the Treasurer receives new properties throughout the year. Be sure to check back as often as you can!