In June and July, newspapers in Missouri publish tens of thousands of names of people for whom the State Treasurer’s Office is holding unclaimed property worth more than $1 billion. This is not the state’s money, but it is the people of Missouri’s money, and I am committed to returning it to its rightful owner.
Scan these lists to see if your name or the names of family members or friends appear on them, including those who may be deceased or no longer live in Missouri. One in 10 Missourians has unclaimed money and there are nearly 330,000 unclaimed property accounts, so it’s likely you or someone you know is on the list. Even if you’re not on the list, check our database — the listings in this newspaper are for those with more than $50 in unclaimed property. You may also have something under that value!
You can quickly, free and easily go online at www.ShowMeMoney.com to learn more and apply to get your money back. Simply enter your name exactly as it appears in the newspaper list, starting with the last name first.
Since I became State Treasurer in January 2023, my office has returned more than $80 million to its rightful owners. The average amount returned is nearly $300, so it’s worth checking the database.
Why does the state of Missouri have unclaimed property? State law requires financial institutions, insurance companies, government agencies, and many businesses to turn over unclaimed assets to the state treasury after a number of years of inactivity on the accounts. This includes cash from bank accounts, stocks and bonds, utility payments, and the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
The vast majority of unclaimed property is cash or its equivalent, but there are also many items from safe deposit boxes, and these range from valuable jewelry, historical books and documents, even false teeth. There are always surprises.
If these items of actual property remain unclaimed by the State Treasurer’s Office for several years, they are subject to public auction. This year’s Unclaimed Property Auction will be held July 29-30, beginning at 9 a.m. each day, with previews beginning July 28. The auction location is the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone Ave., in Springfield.
I want to give the people of Missouri their unclaimed property back, and it takes less than 30 seconds to check the listings in your local newspapers and look online at www.ShowMeMoney.com — so please come get your money!
Vivek Malek is the Treasurer of the State of Missouri.
This article originally appeared on the Springfield News-Leader: Missouri Treasurer: Check lists of unclaimed property in your name
