PRESS RELEASE:  

FORT WAYNE— Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced today that $3,250,809.29 in Unclaimed Property was returned to residents or former residents of Northeast Indiana in 2012.  This amount, along with the other regional totals, brought the overall state return to $44,898,309.86 for 2012, which exceeds 2011’s amount by more than $600,000. 

“Reuniting Hoosiers with their money is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.  We have more than $400 million in unclaimed assets, and in the Northeast region alone there is more than $23 million.  Times are still tight for a lot of people and I want everyone to know how easy it is to search for money that you may never knew existed in the form of accounts or wages.” Zoeller said.

Making a claim with the Attorney General’s Unclaimed Property Division is free and easy.  Zoeller encourages all Hoosiers to visit www.IndianaUnclaimed.com to search for their name, their relatives, neighbors and friends’ names.  The Indiana Unclaimed Property database is also now mobile.  Anyone can search for free through the mobile application — just use keyword Indiana Unclaimed to download.  The app makes it easy to look for unclaimed property.  Business owners and charitable organizations should also check annually for unclaimed property. 

In the last several months, businesses and other holders have turned over more than $47 million to the state of accounts in which there has been no activity for several years, depending on the type of account.  Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages, and money from savings and checking accounts. Less than one percent of unclaimed assets are tangible, physical items, such as those found in safe-deposit boxes. It is important to note that unclaimed property does NOT include abandoned vehicles or real estate.

In 2012, the attorney general’s office returned more than 80,000 properties totaling more than $44.8 million in unclaimed property.  Last year, nearly $3.3 million was returned to individuals with last known addresses in Northeast Indiana.

The following chart displays the total value and number of properties returned in 2012 to residents or former residents of Northeast Indiana:

A public awareness campaign highlighting where Hoosiers can look for unclaimed property includes newspaper, radio, online and television ads. 

The Unclaimed Property database can be searched 24-hours a day, 7 days a week at www.IndianaUnclaimed.com.  The Unclaimed Property Division’s toll-free number is 1-866-IN-CLAIM (1-866-462-5246). This is a free service of the Indiana    Attorney General’s Office.