New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is again encouraging New Yorkers to check and see if they have unclaimed funds as lost money in New York reaches over $20 billion, up from $19 billion last year. Unclaimed funds occur when people are separated from their money and can come from utility deposits, trust funds, old bank accounts, uncashed checks or unused gift cards.
“We’re returning more than $2 million a day to New Yorkers, but the total pot of lost money is growing,” DiNapoli said. “Unclaimed funds are your money, and in today’s economic climate, every dollar counts. My office is working to make it easier than ever to reclaim lost money, including mailing some checks directly to their rightful owners.”
DiNapoli’s Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF) currently safeguards more than 55 million unclaimed accounts. Thanks to a new law pushed by DiNapoli, New Yorkers are seeing faster returns for some lost money. In January, OUF began mailing checks for newly reported accounts of $250 or less to eligible individuals.
DiNapoli encourages all New Yorkers to search the state’s unclaimed funds database or attend one of the community events statewide for help searching for and claiming funds.
How to Search and Claim Funds:
- Visit: ny.gov/unclaimed-funds
- Call: (800) 221-9311, M-F 8am-5pm
- Explore: A regional map of unclaimed funds owed by county
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