How to search for unclaimed money (properly)

A quick name search catches the obvious. A careful one catches the rest. Here's a method that takes about 20 minutes and costs nothing.

1. List every state that matters

Property is usually reported to the state of your last known address with the company that owes you — not where you live now. List every state where you've had a home address, a job, a bank account or utilities. Add Delaware if you've owned stock: many large corporations are incorporated there. Build your checklist.

2. List every name

• Current and former legal names, including maiden and married names.
• Variations: with and without middle initial, hyphenated forms, common misspellings.
• Businesses you've owned, and organizations you've run.
• Relatives who have died, if you may be an heir.

3. Run a multi-state search, then check states directly

MissingMoney.com is the free multi-state search endorsed by NAUPA, the association of state unclaimed property administrators. It covers most states at once. Then search the official site of each state on your list directly — especially Hawaii, which is widely reported as not participating in MissingMoney.com.

4. Read each match carefully

A result usually shows a name, a partial address and the company that reported it. Recognize the city or company? That's a strong sign. A matching name in a city you never lived in usually belongs to someone else.

5. Check sources the states don't hold

Some money is held by federal agencies, not states, so it won't appear in any state search:

• Failed bank deposits — the FDIC (fdic.gov) for banks, NCUA (ncua.gov) for credit unions.
• Old savings bonds — the US Treasury's TreasuryDirect (treasurydirect.gov).
• Pensions from terminated plans — the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (pbgc.gov).
• Federal tax refunds — the IRS (irs.gov).
• Veterans' life insurance — the Department of Veterans Affairs (va.gov).

USA.gov keeps an overview of these at usa.gov/unclaimed-money.

6. Repeat once a year

New property is reported every year. A blank result today doesn't mean a blank result next year.