Are you owed unclaimed property? Monroe County has $27.1 million worth

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced Monroe County residents are owed more than $27.1 million worth of unclaimed property on Wednesday.

In 2022, Pennsylvania's Treasury returned more than $211 million in unclaimed property, the third-most ever released in a single year, yet more than $4 billion remains unclaimed, including the $27.1 million in Monroe County.

Unclaimed property includes things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, and insurance policies.

Unclaimed property can also include tangible property, such as jewelry or other valuables stored in abandoned safe deposit boxes. Tangible property may be auctioned by the Treasury after three years of trying to locate the rightful owner, though auction proceeds are available in perpetuity for the rightful owner to claim.

According to the Treasury, their department also receives military decorations and memorabilia as unclaimed property, usually from safe deposit boxes. Treasury officials state they work diligently to find the veterans who earned them, or their families. Military decorations and memorabilia are never auctioned.

State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to the Treasury after three years of dormancy.

To see if you have money waiting, search Treasury’s unclaimed property database at patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property. If you do have anything listed, you can start the claims process online.

Since taking office, Garrity has returned 337 military decorations and memorabilia, including four Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars. However, about 300 military decorations remain in the Treasury's vault, including eight associated with Monroe County. Anyone wanting to help the Treasury find the rightful owners can visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/medals.

“One of my top priorities is to return unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians,” Garrity said. “I’m glad to safeguard these funds, but this money doesn’t belong to the state – it belongs to our hardworking taxpayers. The average claim is worth $1,600, and that could really make a difference, especially in today’s economy, for families trying to make ends meet. I encourage everyone to search Treasury’s website to see if they or someone they know has property waiting.”

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: $27.1 million of unclaimed property in Monroe County, Treasury says