Treasury and Lakeside Mall to Host Unclaimed Property Event

Louisiana Has $330 Million in Lost Money…Some of It Could Be Yours

BATON ROUGE, LA – The state is holding $330 million in lost money for Louisiana citizens, and New Orleans area residents can see if any of this money belongs to them at an Unclaimed Property Awareness Day on Saturday, July 28 at Lakeside Mall in Metairie.

“We held our last unclaimed property event in Lake Charles where we returned $87,600 to southwest Louisiana residents including $26,000 to one individual,” said State Treasurer John Kennedy. “If anyone is hesitant to go to the mall to look for money, let me assure you there are no strings attached with the unclaimed property program. It only takes a few minutes to look up your name or the name of someone you know, and it’s a free service.”

Unclaimed property is money in the normal course of business that goes unclaimed after a certain period of time. It includes savings and checking accounts, uncashed payroll checks, certificates of deposit, stocks and dividends, insurance proceeds, oil and gas royalty payments, utility deposits and other funds. When a business cannot locate an individual the unclaimed property belongs to, usually because of a wrong address, the money is turned over to the state for safekeeping.

Over the past 10 years, Treasurer Kennedy and unclaimed property employees have traveled to shopping malls, community centers and other venues statewide, returning nearly $125 million to nearly 195,000 Louisiana citizens. They will be located at the Veterans Skylight Court in Lakeside Mall, located at 3301 Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help anyone who finds unclaimed property to file a claim for his or her money.

Individuals attending the unclaimed property event should bring a driver’s license and some form of identification with a Social Security Number to claim their money. The typical turnaround for most unclaimed property claims is six to eight weeks. The quickest way for the Treasury to process a refund is if there is a Social Security Number and an address match for a claim.

Treasurer Kennedy encourages citizens who cannot attend the upcoming unclaimed property event in Metairie to search for missing money online at www.latreasury.com or by calling the Treasury’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-925-4127.

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