Newsroom

Celebrate Unclaimed Money Day by Searching

Take a look at this stat: Americans are currently missing around $70 billion. That’s $70 billion that has been left unclaimed and is now sitting in unclaimed money databases across the country – and some of it could be yours.

Here in Mississippi, I’ve made returning these funds a top priority. As a result, we’ve turned over a record-breaking almost $170 million to Mississippians, reconnecting thousands with savings accounts, inheritances, insurance benefits, and tax refunds.

February 1 marks Unclaimed Money Day across the United States. It’s a time to remind families to check state databases for any missing money. In Mississippi, you can visit treasury.ms.gov/search to look for yours.

On average, people claim about $2,000 of unclaimed money with about one in seven people having funds available. And our team has significantly cut the time it takes to get your money back to you.

The faster return times have come about through a series of modernization efforts we’ve made at the Treasury. For instance, we’ve switched to an eClaims system, eliminating the need for a notary in many cases. Our team has also conducted a series of proactive money matches, requiring no action on the citizen’s end to reunite them with their money.

To me, our unclaimed money program is about doing what’s right. This is your money, not the government’s. But it’s also about getting money back into circulation in our communities. By some estimates, every dollar returned through the unclaimed money program turns around seven times, creating a ripple effect of benefits. That means all of our returns (if turned over seven times) have had over $1billion in economic impact.

So please, use this as your reminder to search for unclaimed money today. After all, you work hard for your money, and you deserve every cent you earn. If you have any questions, you can email my team at unclaimed@treasury.ms.gov.