Fox 4 News Unclaimed Money

How to Find Unclaimed Money in Your Name

While some people may find it hard to believe, there is a chance that you may have unclaimed money in your name. Here are some ways that you can go about finding out if there's free cash with your name on it.

Unclaimed Money From the State

Head to the website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators to find out if there is money or unclaimed property waiting for you. The website www.unclaimed.org has links to all of the individual state websites, where you can do a quick search. You'll likely only want to search states you have lived in.

Each state has its own site, and typically the only information you will need to do the search is your last name. Much of the money is in the form of unclaimed bonds, stock dividends and uncashed checks.

While it may seem unlikely to you that you would have unclaimed money, the search only takes seconds, and could be worthwhile. The Office of the New York State Comptroller notes that there's over $15 billion in lost money in their care, with around $1 million returned every day.

Unclaimed FHA-Insurance Refunds

If you suspect the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development owes you money, go to their refunds website to do a quick search. This would be because you had an FHA-insured mortgage at one point. All you need to do is enter your last name, or a series of other personal details (such as an FHA case number or the city of the property in question).

Undelivered Tax Refunds

If the IRS owed you money and sent you a check, there's a chance that the check never arrived. That happens to lots of people who move and forget all about what happened during tax season. Check the IRS website's "refunds" section to see if they owe you any money.

Unclaimed Back Wages

If you've ever worked for someone (or a business) and didn't receive the wages that you were owed, there's a chance that the money is still waiting for you. The United States Department of Labor administers the Wage and Hour Division, which has an online search engine that allows you to search by employer name. If you're able to locate your name in their database, you can submit a claim to receive the money owed to you.

Unclaimed Money From Bank or Credit Union Closures

If your bank or credit union closed for some reason, there's a chance there's unclaimed money waiting for you. If it's a bank that closed, check with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Their website has a section for "unclaimed funds."

If it's a credit union that closed, check for unclaimed deposits on the National Credit Union Administration website under their "support services" tool.