The State of Alabama has my Dad's stuff!

This morning I was doing my usual thing before work, drinking coffee and reading the sports section with CNN on the TV. Well, they ran a story on finding lost money and listed some government web sites where you could go and look to see if the Feds or any state was holding property or cash for you.

I got bored this afternoon and figured, what the hell, and gave one of the sites a try and amazingly I found out that the State of Alabama is holding property and or cash that belongs to me. They had my real name (including middle initial) and my former address here in Oregon as the rightful owner of said stuff. My dad is listed as the co-owner, but he died in 1987. Since I haven't lived in Alabama since before that, I'm pretty sure it's the contents of a safe deposit box I set up for him when I was there.

Frankly, I'm stunned.

Fortunately, you can fill out and print an official State of Alabama claim form from the web site. Now all I have to do is provide some additional documentation that I am indeed the person they've been looking for and they'll send me whatever it is they've been holding for me. I wonder what the old man had stashed in that box when he died. I guess I'll find out now. Maybe it's a Klan hood! <--- Note: Just to keep it in the Red Room.

I'm still shaking my head over this.

Maybe it's a tasty burger.

Old 80's porn perhaps.

I work with that through the bank. We have to hand over stale accounts after a certain number of years.

People think that they lose their bank holdings but the banks are required to hand them over to the state. I hate having to tell folks that there account was handed over to the state because of non-activity over a number of years.

I have access to every Abandoned Property Database in every state. The general public only has access to the websites. I can dig deeper.

Property is a little more involved to obtain back. In many cases the state is not 'looking' for anyone. Its there and its up to you to find it.

Yeah, Alabama wants a buttload of proof that I am who they've been holding it for. But I know it's me.

Where'd you look?

Or where does one go to look? I might have me some freebies sitting in Washington State.

Of course it easy for the actual owner. But you are lucky that they know its for you.

Other cases would involve the executor of the estate and review of wills. Then there can be debate between family members.

You got a smooth deal to go through. Believe me, you got it easy.

I was listed as the owner. And hell yes I'm lucky.

I found this stuff on http://www.missingmoney.com/ Azure.

You should check that states website. Look into Office of the Controller or Abandoned Property.

Here's one link.

http://www.missingmoney.com/

http://www.missingmoney.com/Main/StateSites.cfm

It might be some vintage Traci Lords videos.

Does she....




yeah, she probably does.

It could be a grainy 8mm movie that shows the second shooter on the grassy knoll!

Sorry to spoil your joke but they would throw that away. Its an honor system and I know that everything DOESN'T go to the state. There is a threshold value amount. Along with certain things either being held or destroyed.

That state gets bank accounts after a number of years. Usually 7-10 years after last activity.

But it can be hard to find while the bank is still holding it cuz the funds get shifted and don't always remain in the current database. Someone would have to dig for it but they need a starting point.

Whoa.



It has my name listed, for Odessa, Washington, says stuff valued under $100.

Wow.

So what do I do now?

I was lucky with my Dad, there was no money left at the end. None.

YOUR name or a family member? The site should supply the info to follow up though. You probably left a few dollars in a bank account. It could be $20.

The under $100 list is usually pretty big.

If it was missingmoney.com, I just clicked on my name and it cross-linked me over to the state web site.

My name.

I found out how to check it out.

Don't know if it'll be worth it though.

In Alabama here......Several years ago I managed to help my grandfather, my sister-in-law, and one of my coworkers hooked up with some missing funds through Alabama's website. One got back a little over $100 from a closed bank account, one's property included security deposits on phone and apartment accounts, and the other was some funds (maybe profit-sharing monies, don't recall) from an old employer. That one amounted to just over $4500, IIRC.

Oh yeah, last paychecks, security deposits...all kind of stuff is held by the state.

Provided the place of business is honest and hand it over to the state. Many just keep it.

Maybe you do have a job Mewa.

Florida runs stories on this every now and then. I've never left anything. My husband had around $40 once as did my brother and I let them both know and they claimed it.

I'm too OCD to lose money, deposits of various sorts or safety deposit boxes. I know what I have where.

I knew I had rented the box originally, but my Aunt was with my dad when he died and closed all the bank accounts. I assumed that she had included the safe deposit box since his name was on it too, but she either didn't know about it or overlooked it.

Hopefully it has those Microsoft shares I tried to get him to buy in 1984 in it.

Holy Shit! I got THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS waiting for me.
















Either that, or there is more than one Matthew Johnson out there...

There is probably one on every state list.

Hey, I used to have those. She was great stuff back in the day.

Used to?

Long gone.