State Treasurer: You Could Be Rich!
More than 70,000 new names added to list of people, businesses owed $1.4 billion

August 4, 2008

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is urging Illinois residents to check their local newspapers this month to find out if they are the owners of millions of dollars in lost wealth.

More than 70,000 new names will be published in county-by-county listings in local newspapers statewide between August 10 and 31. The listings feature residents and businesses that have lost at least $100 in cash or any value of stock or safe deposit box contents turned over to the State Treasurer’s Office since February of this year.

The new names bring the state’s database of unclaimed property owners to more than 10.2 million entries owed an upwards of $1.4 billion, according to the state’s database which tracks lost money dating back to the 1960s.

“You could have money coming to you and not even realize it,” said Giannoulias, who recently surprised an Illinois family with nearly $600,000 in lost cash on Dateline NBC.

The lists of new owners will appear the week of August 10 in newspapers in the following Northern Illinois counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Grundy, Henry, Jo Daviess, Kankakee, LaSalle, Lee, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago.

The list will appear the week of August 10 in newspapers in the following Southern Illinois counties: Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson.

The list will appear the week of August 17 in newspapers in the following Central Illinois counties: Adams, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Fulton, Greene, Hancock, Henderson, Iroquois, Knox, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Peoria, Piatt, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren and Woodford.

The list will appear the week of August 24 in newspapers in the following Chicago-area Illinois counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will.

Residents can contact the Treasurer’s Office to find out which local newspaper will carry the listing. In addition, the new names are also available to search for no charge on the state’s online database at www.treasurer.il.gov if you follow the Cash Dash link.

Unclaimed property consists of money and other assets held by banks and other businesses that are considered lost or abandoned after an owner cannot be located for more than five years. Common forms of unclaimed property include paid-up life insurance policies, forgotten bank accounts and safe deposit box contents.

Marilyn Willis, 63, of Orvil Township, recently discovered on the Cash Dash website that she was owed money from her aunt’s estate. After compiling proof of her ownership and her aunt’s Murphysboro address, Willis received a check for more than $400.

“I found it fairly easy to do and would certainly do it again,” she said. “It’s worth it.”

Property owners’ names are published in the county that corresponds to the last known address provided by the bank or business that turns over the property. In many cases, cash and assets become lost because their owners move and forget to furnish their broker, bank, employer or insurance company with a forwarding address. Eventually, the money makes its way to the Treasurer’s Office for distribution.

Treasurer Giannoulias returned nearly $82 million to Illinois residents and businesses in fiscal year 2008 and a record $92 million the prior fiscal year.

James Joanis, 73, of Marseilles, filed a claim on behalf of his late sister in July and in just two weeks received more than $700 from a forgotten insurance policy.
 
“If people find their name, I say go after it, look into it,” Joanis said. “What the heck, if there’s money there and it belongs to you or your kids, you should have it.”

There are many ways for residents to find out if the Treasurer is holding their property. Along with checking the local newspaper in February and August of each year, residents can search the Treasurer’s entire database by visiting www.treasurer.il.gov, following the Cash Dash link and typing in a name.

Throughout the year, the Treasurer sponsors outreach activities to help residents who are unfamiliar with unclaimed property or who do not have Internet access to search the database for the property. In addition, state legislators are provided with list of new property owners in their districts twice a year and asked to contact the individuals.

Residents who want more information on unclaimed property should contact the Treasurer’s Office at (217) 782-2211 or (312) 814-1700.