Each year, Texas businesses report their unclaimed property to the Office of the Comptroller, according to Susan Combs, who serves in that position.
Inside today’s Telegram is the agency’s 2008 Unclaimed Property List, which names people who have $250 or more in unclaimed property as reported this year. Those funds come from old bank accounts, royalties and payroll checks, insurance policies, safety-deposit boxes and other sources.
“It comes from a variety of sources,” comptroller spokesman R.J. DeSilva said. “It could be checking accounts or rent deposits. People may have forgotten about variety of different types of unclaimed property.”
After a certain time period, businesses are required to turn those unclaimed funds over to the state.
In fiscal 2007, the state gave $120 million back to its rightful owners, a press release said.
“There’s a lot of money out there,” DeSilva said. “The thing to note is that some of this can go back for decades. People still have a claim to it.”
While the state is putting out this special section to let residents know if they are on the list, people can go online at any time during the year to look for their names, he said.
“It’s out there,” DeSilva said. “You may come across some money you never thought you had.”
