(Part 1 of 2)

In May 2007, Illinois State Treasurer State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias announced that the state's "Cash Dash" abandoned asset program is holding nearly $1.4 Billion in Illinois unclaimed money. The only thing getting between the cash and its true owners is the knowledge that it's out there and the ability to find it.

Sadly beyond just Illinois, state treasury departments across the nation continue to take in more unclaimed funds every year than they give back to the rightful owners. Because everyone believes in the old "if it's too good to be true" saying, the majority of people refuse to believe that there are really tens of billions of dollars waiting to be claimed nationwide. Even for the handful who have come to accept the truth about unclaimed properties, the best way to find these monies eludes them most of the time.

The Prairie is State is one of those rare states that is holding over a billion dollars on its own, which means if you're a resident of Illinois then you have even better odds of finding a claim in your name, especially when you factor in that the state has less than 13 million people and there are more than 10 million names on the state's Illinois list.

Even though there are quite a few more, Illinois names the following as the most common sources of missing money: credit balances, customer deposits or overpayments, safe deposit box contents, money orders, refunds, paid-up life insurance policies, travelers checks, unpaid wages or commissions, abandoned savings and checking accounts, bonds, stock, un-cashed dividends, mutual funds. People who have had or know someone who may have had one of these types of accounts at some point in the past is encouraged to search regularly.

(to be continued)

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$85M in property still unclaimed – Omaha World-Herald
LINCOLN (AP) — The state treasurer’s office is seeking to return $85 million in unclaimed property to more than 250,000 Nebraskans. The office recently publicized the names of people owed money or property and will do so again in the fall. A list …

Nebraska treasurer seeks to return unclaimed property – Lincoln Journal Star
The state treasurer's office is seeking to return $85 million in unclaimed property to more than 250,000 Nebraskans. The office recently publicized the names of people owed money or property and will do so again in the fall. A list of those owed …

Unclaimed lotto, life insurance, shares and forgotten … – Adelaidenow
Between the cash sitting in forgotten bank accounts, life insurance and shares, lotto winners who are yet to come forward and money owed in inheritance, millions of dollars await their rightful owners. Australian Securities and Investments Commission …

IRS Sitting On $1.3 Billion In Unclaimed Refunds  – ArkansasMatters
The Internal Revenue Service is sitting on $1.3 billion in unclaimed 2006 tax refunds. That money is owed to 1.4 million people who didn't file, and they're running out of time. After April 15th, that money will become the property of the U.S …

Millions Of Unclaimed Money Awaits On NC Website – digtriad.com
The amount of money in the program has doubled in the past nine years…which means there's a one in eight chance that a North Carolina resident has a claim. To search… click here for the North Carolina Department of Treasury website. Type in …