State Treasurer Stenberg Announces Publication
of 2012 Unclaimed Property Report

Lincoln, NE (February 27, 2012) – The 2012 Report of Unclaimed Property will be published in Nebraska newspapers beginning Sunday, March 4, State Treasurer Don Stenberg said today.

The tabloid, published once a year according to state law, includes the names of 34,321 people, organizations, and businesses who have unclaimed property being held by the state. These names were submitted to the state between Feb. 1, 2011, and Jan. 17, 2012.

Property associated with these latest names totals almost $17 million. The largest single amount included in this list is more than $198,000. The next largest amounts— $110,000 and $108,000—are in one person’s name.

In all, the Unclaimed Property Division of the State Treasurer’s Office is holding more than $100 million in unclaimed property for more than 350,000 Nebraska residents, former residents, and heirs. That means roughly one in five Nebraskans has unclaimed property. Unclaimed property is held by the state until an owner or heir can be documented; the property is held indefinitely if no owner or heir can be located.

Treasurer Stenberg said this year’s Report of Unclaimed Property contains the stories of five Nebraska families who received money, ranging from $50 to several thousand dollars, from the Unclaimed Property Division in 2011.

“Regardless of the amounts, the recipients said they were happy to get money they didn’t know they had and they thanked the Treasurer’s Office for its perseverance and diligence in tracking them down,” Treasurer Stenberg said. “One of the pleasures of this office is returning money to its rightful owners and hearing the stories of Nebraskans and former Nebraskans who are genuinely grateful, surprised, and sometimes overwhelmed.”

In 2011, the Unclaimed Property Division paid out more than $7.2 million in claims to more than 14,600 claim holders. The average claim was about $450. The largest claim paid was more than $168,800.

Unclaimed property consists of cash and other personal assets that are considered lost or abandoned after an owner cannot be located for a specified period of time. Among the most common forms are unclaimed property are dividends, dormant accounts, gift certificates, insurance payments, matured CDs, lost IRAs, wages, rebates, stock and mutual funds, utility deposits, and abandoned safe deposit boxes.

The tabloid publication will be published as a special supplement March 4 in the Omaha World-Herald and the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. The 36-page supplement will appear in other Nebraska newspapers according to the following schedule:

• March 17 – Norfolk Daily News, Beatrice Daily Sun, Fremont Tribune, York News-Times
• March 18 – Columbus Telegram, Lincoln Journal Star
• March 30 – Holdrege Citizen, McCook Gazette
• March 31 – Alliance Times-Herald, Hastings Tribune, Kearney Hub, Sidney Sun-Telegraph
• April 1 – Grand Island Independent, North Platte Telegraph

Readers are encouraged to look for their own names as well as the names of relatives, businesses, and friends in the tabloid publication. The names are listed by last-known county of residence. Readers who find their names or the names of their businesses or of deceased relatives should use one of the following methods to file claims:

• Check the Nebraska State Treasurer’s website at www.treasurer.org. Type a name in the box on the home page, or click on the Search for Unclaimed Property link in the left navigation pane. For amounts under $300, owners may be able to file their claims online through the website.
• Call the Unclaimed Property Division at 1-877-572-9688 toll free outside of Lincoln or 402-471-8497 in Lincoln. Phone calls are taken between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
• Complete the claim form found inside the front cover of the tabloid and mail to the State Treasurer’s Office, Unclaimed Property Division, 809 Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-1390. That form will need to be notarized.