Treasury and Prien Lake Mall to Host Unclaimed Property Event

                                            Louisiana Has $302 Million in Lost Money…Some of It Could Be Yours

BATON ROUGE, LA – The state is holding $302 million in lost money for Louisiana citizens, and southwest Louisiana residents can see if any of this money belongs to them at an Unclaimed Property Awareness Day on Saturday, August 26 at Prien Lake Mall in Lake Charles.

“We held a similar unclaimed property event in the New Orleans area just a few months ago and returned more than $133,000 to area residents,” said State Treasurer John Kennedy. “Everyone could use a little extra money these days, especially the hardworking individuals who live in areas devastated by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.”

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, CDs, 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 $108 million to more than 180,000 Louisiana citizens. They will be located at the Sears Court of Prien Lake Mall, located at 496 W. Prien Lake Road, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help anyone who finds unclaimed property to file a claim for his or her money.

“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,” said Treasurer Kennedy. “It only takes a few minutes to look up your name or the name of someone you know, and it’s a free service.”

Individuals attending the unclaimed property event should bring a driver’s license and some other 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 reminds citizens that cannot attend the unclaimed property event in Lake Charles to visit www.latreasury.com or call the Treasury’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-925-4127 to search for missing money.

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