Press Releases

Controller Yee Joins NAUPA in Celebrating
2nd Annual National Unclaimed Property Day

PR22:04
2/1/2022
Contact: JENNIFER HANSON
(916) 324-2709

SACRAMENTO—State Controller Betty T. Yee joins the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) in urging everyone to search for lost or forgotten funds on this second annual National Unclaimed Property Day!

“NAUPA makes the great point that it only takes 30 seconds to search for unclaimed property,” said Controller Yee, California’s chief fiscal officer and administrator of the state’s Unclaimed Property Program. “In California, we work hard to ensure businesses do not keep funds that belong to past customers, and we continue to improve our secure technology to make it easier to reunite rightful owners with their property. Visit claimit.ca.gov to see if we are safeguarding your funds.”

According to NAUPA, nearly 33 million people in the U.S. have forgotten properties waiting to be claimed: “If 1 in 10 people in the U.S. have unclaimed property, then you are bound to know many of them,” said Kathleen Lobell, director of Louisiana Unclaimed Property and president of NAUPA. “Take advantage of Unclaimed Property Day to search for your name and others.” 

California’s Unclaimed Property Program is a consumer protection program in existence since 1959. Designed to keep businesses and other entities from keeping properties belonging to a customer with whom they have lost contact. Common types of unclaimed property include bank accounts, stocks, bonds, uncashed checks, insurance benefits, and safe deposit box contents.

The program administered by the State Controller’s Office (SCO) has evolved with technology. In 2014, SCO added the “eClaim” feature, allowing owners of many lower-value properties to claim their property online. Now SCO has made the claims process even easier, with the addition of the Shopping Cart feature. Previously, an owner had to file a separate claim for each individual property found. Now, property owners can search the Unclaimed Property database, add all of their found properties to their cart, and submit as a single claim. 

If your business or organization needs help ensuring you understand and meet reporting obligations under California’s unclaimed property law, please take advantage of the Reporting Resources available to you through SCO. 

NAUPA directs people who have lived or had accounts outside of California to visit ucpday.com to determine if another state is holding their property. Individuals are encouraged to search their name, a maiden name, or the name of a business or non-profit. Every search is free. 

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The Controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds. Elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018, Controller Yee is the tenth woman elected to a statewide office in California’s history. Follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController and on Facebook at California State Controller’s Office.

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