The State of Ohio is "safeguarding" nearly $4 billion in unclaimed money that belongs to people and businesses across our state.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., there's a free webinar to help you search and possibly reclaim your money.
Businesses and banks are constantly reporting unclaimed funds to the Ohio Department of Commerce. This is money people don’t know about, have lost, or forgotten from inactive checking and savings accounts, uncashed cashier's checks, stocks and bonds, and even utility deposits and last paychecks.
Last year, there were 40,000 claims, with recipients getting an average of $3,000.
The Dept. of Commerce says it's also important for heirs and executors of estates to search the names of loved ones who have passed.
“This year at the fair — we were at the Ohio State Fair — we found someone who didn't know that they had some money, $50,000," said Susie Wagner, Outreach Administrator for the Division of Unclaimed Funds. "It was from an insurance policy that her mother had taken out and her mother had passed away. So she claimed that money, turned around, sent her paperwork in the next week and already has her funds.”
The Ohio Dept. of Commerce's Division of Unclaimed Funds and the Better Business Bureau are hosting tomorrow's webinar. They'll go through the search process step-by-step and talk about the documentation needed and a timeline, should you have unclaimed money.
Click here to join the free webinar being held through Microsoft Teams on Wednesday at 10 a.m., or to view the webinar after it's held.
Click here to search for unclaimed funds any time.
February is Unclaimed Funds Month, and News 5's Mike Brookbank spoke with the Dept. of Commerce at the beginning of the month. Watch below:
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