Treasurer Clint Zweifel returns $370,000 in Unclaimed Property to a Top 50 Missouri employer

36 accounts worth $100,000 each remain at www.ShowMeMoney.com

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – November 17, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (ZWY-ful) announced today he has returned $370,000 in Unclaimed Property to a Top 50 Missouri employer. The return was comprised of multiple accounts received over time. As always, when done directly with Treasurer Zweifel, the Unclaimed Property return was made free of charge. The business is not being identified for privacy reasons.

“Returns like this are important because they remind us all to check for business names in Unclaimed Property, not just our personal names. Obviously, this is more than most people or businesses will receive, but it is not uncommon,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “I have returned $300,000 in Springfield, $200,000 in Kansas City and $1.6 million in St. Louis already. Big accounts still remain out of the more than $600 million in Unclaimed Property I hold. One in 10 Missourians has Unclaimed Property and should go to www.ShowMeMoney.com to claim it.”

There remain 36 accounts worth more than $100,000 each to be returned from Unclaimed Property. Of those 36 accounts, the geographic breakdown is: 18 in St. Louis County; 10 in Jackson County; three in St. Louis City; two in Boone County; and one each in Camden, Cole and Franklin counties.

“I have dedicated staff working to return money to Missourians. We go through record upon record to match addresses, chains of title, find heirs and much more. In less than two years, $60 million has gone back to 170,000 owners – money they can use for the holidays, school and groceries,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “With 36 claims worth more than $100,000 each and $600 million available, I encourage all Missourians to check to see if they have Unclaimed Property.”

Treasurer Zweifel returned a record $35 million to a record 92,000 owners in fiscal year 2010. During that time frame, the largest single return ever, $1.6 million, was made to a St. Louis area man. Since taking office in January 2009, Treasurer Zweifel has returned more than $60 million to over 170,000 account holders.

Missourians may check for Unclaimed Property 24 hours-a-day at www.ShowMeMoney.com. About 60 percent of claims are eligible for paperless processing and wait times have been cut in half. Individuals may also sign-up for e-mail notifications and can track a submitted claim from the website.

Following is an overview of the total dollar amounts and total accounts in Unclaimed Property found in each region of Missouri:

Kansas City Region (Bates, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, Ray): $86 million in nearly 660,000 accounts.

Mid-Missouri Region (Audrain, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Cooper, Dent, Gasconade, Howard, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Montgomery, Morgan, Osage, Pettis, Phelps, Pulaski, Saline): $20.5 million in over 220,000 accounts.

Northeast Missouri Region (Adair, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan): $6.4 million in 60,000 accounts.

Northwest Missouri Region (Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Worth): $8 million in over 76,000 accounts.

Southeast Missouri Region (Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Wayne): $12.3 million in nearly 140,000 accounts.

Southwest Missouri Region (Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Polk, Shannon, St. Clair, Stone, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Webster, Wright): $29.5 million in nearly 320,000 accounts.

St. Louis Region (Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Warren, Washington): $182 million in over 1 million accounts.

About Treasurer Zweifel’s Unclaimed Property
State law requires financial institutions, insurance companies, public agencies and other business entities to turn over assets to Treasurer Zweifel’s office that belong to a customer, client, employee or other owner if there have been no documented transactions or contact with the owner for five or more years. Most Unclaimed Property consists of cash from bank accounts, stocks, bonds and contents of safe deposit boxes that have been abandoned. It also can include uncollected insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits and wages from past jobs. Treasurer Zweifel’s office does not handle real property such as land, houses, cars and boats. There is $600 million in Unclaimed Property maintained by Treasurer Zweifel. Treasurer Zweifel never charges for the return of Unclaimed Property.