Rarely is an elected official in the business of giving money back to citizens, but in just over four years, our team has returned $100 million to Mississippians through our unclaimed money program.
For those who aren’t familiar, unclaimed money is an asset you or your family have lost track of at some point. It could be an energy bill refund that was sent to the wrong address, a long-forgotten CD at your local bank, or it may be an unknown part of a deceased loved one or relative’s estate, like an insurance policy. If no one claims these funds for five years, the money is sent to the state. Then, your Treasury is responsible for finding the rightful owner and returning the cash to them.
Since arriving in office, our team has gone to great lengths to make this claims process as easy and fast as possible. For example, we implemented a new e-claims system that lets many people complete the process entirely online (no need for a notary)! But we’ve also made it a priority to let folks know the program exists and to proactively go after those who have money to claim.
The result has been historic. In fact, no other Treasurer has returned this much money in such a short period of time. Coupled with the new system we’ve implemented in the past few months; we’ll be at $150 million or even $200 million very soon. To celebrate, our team is embarking on a statewide tour to thank those who have participated in the program and find more hardworking Mississippians with cash to claim. We’ll be making stops in Jackson, Hattiesburg, Tupelo, Southaven and along the Coast, so make sure you’ve signed up for our email updates at treasury.ms.gov to learn when we’ll be in your area.
Even if we’re not able to celebrate with you in person, I invite you to search for unclaimed money in your name at treasury.ms.gov/search. You never know how much might be waiting for you.
Finally, I want to say thank you to our entire Unclaimed Money team. They have gone above and beyond to infuse the state’s economy with this extra cash, ensuring every penny that belongs to you is returned.
Mississippi Treasurer David McRae is the 55th Treasurer for the State of Mississippi. In this role, he helps manage the state’s cash flow, oversees College Savings Mississippi, and has returned more than $85 million in unclaimed money to Mississippians. For more information, visit www.Treasury.MS.gov
