AUGUSTA — The Office of the State Treasurer is currently holding more than $249 million in unclaimed property. Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash is urging constituents to go to maineunclaimedproperty.gov to find out whether any of that hard earned 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 people in Aroostook County to take a look at the unclaimed property list,” said President Jackson, D-Allagash. “You never know if you will be on the list, and it only takes a second to see if you have money waiting for you.”

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 here. If you find your name, of the name of your current or past business 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, check out missingmoney.com, which serves as a National Database.

The Office of the Treasurer receives new properties throughout the year. Mainers should be sure to check the list periodically.

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