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Atlanta Mobile Notaries

ESCHEATMENT/ABANDON PROPERTY

How do I have unclaimed property?  Do any of the following situations apply to you?

Had a death in the family? Left a job that had retirement plan benefits, pension, savings plan a401k? Moved and failed to leave a forwarding address with everyone not just the post office.

Ever switched banks? Paycheck or bonus check from a previous employer? Medical savings account or some savings plan at work. Sold a house or land? Had property foreclosed

Unclaimed property consists of bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds, and contents of safe deposit boxes that typically have been abandoned for one to five years. Funds become unclaimed because the company loses track of the consumer, due to an incorrect address or other missing information.  The purpose of unclaimed property laws is to protect consumers by ensuring money owed to them is returned to them, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions and other companies. Unclaimed property (sometimes referred to as abandoned) refers to accounts in financial institutions and companies that have had no activity generated or contact with the owner for one year or a longer period. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed dividends or payroll checks, refunds, traveler's checks, trust distributions, unredeemed money orders or gift certificates (in some states), insurance payments or refunds and life insurance policies, annuities, certificates of deposit, customer overpayments, utility security deposits, mineral royalty payments, and contents of safe deposit boxes.

We've all heard that if it sounds too good to be true . . . it probably is.

If a claim for your funds isn't made in time, the funds often "escheat" to the agency holding them, meaning you can no longer claim them. It's your money, and the government shouldn't be able to take it from you. Our mission is to ensure that that never, ever happens. We audit government files and documents for these unclaimed funds, and when we find them, we make it our personal mission to reunite them with their rightful owner.

A legitimate company will ask only for your driver’s license or other official identification. The state that is holding your funds has to verify that you are alive and that you are the person that they are looking for.  There may be more than one Mary Brown but only one that was born on your birthday and they will need to verify that.  The state will issue a check in your name and therefore no legitimate company would ask for your bank account information, passwords etc.

How do states try to return this money? They are not trying that hard in all seriousness.

Notification letters are mailed to customers at the address on file before any funds are disbursed to the state.

Understand that if you do not respond the state gets to keep all your money so their efforts to find you are generally less than vigorous.

Once an account is deemed "abandoned" it becomes reportable to the state of the owner's last known address and is subject to be escheated.

All states require financial institutions, including brokerage firms, to report when personal property has been abandoned or unclaimed after a period of time specified by state law — often five years. Before a brokerage account can be considered abandoned or unclaimed, the firm must make a diligent effort to try to locate the account owner. If the firm is unable to do so, and the account has remained inactive for the period of time specified by state law, the firm must report the account to the state where the account is held. The state then claims the account through a process called "escheatment," whereby the state becomes the owner of the account.

As part of the escheatment process, the state will hold the account as a bookkeeping entry, against which the former account owner may make a claim. States tend to sell the securities in escheated accounts and treat the proceeds as state funds. When a former account owner makes a valid request, however, the states will normally provide the former owner with cash equaling the value of the account at the time of escheatment. This amount of cash does not include any dividends or interest covering the time after escheatment.

Why would your company help me?

Our firm works on a contingent basis - there are no out-of-pocket expenses to you. We're paid ONLY upon successful collection of your claim. We cover ALL expenses related to the claim until it is paid, and if the claim is unsuccessful you owe us nothing.  Our company has been doing this for over 15 years and most of the people that we help could use an unexpected payday.

In this economy, everyone's got a use for extra money. Let's make sure the government doesn't end up with it!

How Did You Find This Money?

We audit different government agencies on a regular basis for unclaimed funds due to hard working people just like you.

How Much is My Claim? Where is it Being Held? Once you have signed our contingency fee agreement, we'll be happy to disclose where the funds have been located!

Can't I Find the Money on my Own? Well did you?

The governmental agencies holding unclaimed funds generally do not spend much expense or effort to make the existence of unclaimed funds known. Most are not posted on line and many do not search for the rightful owner any more than sending the letter to a last known address.

Why Should I Use Your Company?

Most of the assets we locate aren't available by searching the internet, and it's unlikely that without the aid of a company like ours, that you'll be notified of their existence by the agency holding them.  We have a real live person come to your home or work complete your form and file your documentation.  We are citizens in the community just like you.  Not offshore voices and people that you will never meet.