Pocono News Section

State Looking for Owners of Unclaimed Money

State Looking for Owners of Unclaimed Money - Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 4:30PM EST

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Many of us have money out there just waiting to be claimed and we don't even know it. It's money that's now in the state's hands. And the Pennsylvania Treasury Department is trying to put that money back in your wallet.
People line up at center court at the Mall at Steamtown. They're trying to find out if they have money coming to them. State Treasurer Rob McCord said, "We have 1.5 billion dollars under management that's unclaimed property. More than 10,000 people in Lackawanna County alone."

That's a lot of loot for a lot of people. So where does all that unclaimed cash come from? "You have safety deposit boxes. A lot of us have aunts or grandparents who bought some insurance policy or some stock in our name and we never even knew we owned it," said McCord.

In the first few hours here, more than 100-people checked to see if they might be in the money. About 15 are, ranging anywhere from $50 to $3,000. Theresa Trager of Scranton said, "I think it's great they're looking to give you back what you should have that's really yours."

Trager is here on behalf of her daughter, Holly, who has a $74 paycheck coming to her from nearly a decade ago.

Another way the Treasury Department hopes to reunite people with their money is through its state website. "You don't just get property that's been returned in the last year or so. You get all of that 1.5 billion dollars worth of property searchable at ,” said McCord.

It's a site worth searching to see if there's hundreds, thousands, and even millions of dollars in property waiting for you to stake your rightful claim.

McCord recommends searching for more than just your name. He hopes everyone will check on behalf of other family and friends to get that money where it belongs.