Find Out If New Jersey Treasury Has Money Owed to You

More than $4.5 billion is sitting in the New Jersey Treasury, waiting to be claimed by rightful owners.

Things like savings accounts, utility deposits, lost checks, stock dividends or unknown inheritances are held by the New Jersey Treasury until the right person comes along with a proper claim.

The Unclaimed Property Administration, a division of the treasury department, told Patch that it has returned more than $530 million in property to the rightful owners, including more than $124 million in 2015.

During fiscal year 2014, the UPA paid a then-record $125.1 million in claims, eclipsing the previous year’s record of $107.5 million. The number of claimants also reached a record 70,762, up from 61,978 the previous year. In 2012, the state surpassed the $1 billion mark in funds reunited with rightful owners during the program’s history.

Some of the recent claims included:

• $1.3 million received by a Hudson County family for an estate claim;
• $553,000 received by a Passaic County man mostly for certificates of deposit;
• $424,000 received by an Ocean County man for bank checks,
• $377,000 received by a Bergen County woman mostly for health care policy benefits and bank accounts.

“Governor Chris Christie has made it a priority to reunite families with money that belongs to them,” Steven Harris, administrator of the Unclaimed Property Administration, said in a recent release. “So, we have accelerated our efforts to advertise and raise awareness with the public about unclaimed property that people may have been unaware of or simply forgot about over the years.”

The state never takes ownership of unclaimed property. It merely holds the property in perpetuity until the owner or heir can be located. The state pays interest on all unclaimed property for the time it holds the property in trust.

People can search online to find out if there are any possible claims that could be made. Those who find a possible claim can submit it to the Office of the State Treasurer with the proper documentation.

Find out if your name is on the list here.

Patch file photo