$249 million in unclaimed money needs to be claimed by owners

Sen. Libby urges residents to check if they are owed money from utilities, banks and other third parties

The Office of the State Treasurer is holding $249 million in the form of unclaimed money, and Mainers are being urged to check whether any of that 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 this to the State Treasurer after a specified period of time, after which the owner of the unclaimed money can retrieve it from the state.

“This is a great program to get money back to Mainers that is theirs,” said Sen. Libby. “New records are added all the time, so even if you’ve checked in years past, it is worth checking again to see if anything new has shown up.”

Even if you have done everything right, you could have unclaimed money. 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 businesses 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 money that may belong to them. To find out if you are owed money in other states missingmoney.com serves as a National Database.

The Office of the Treasurer receives new properties throughout the year. Be sure to check back as often as you can!