Ask Heir Hunters International: Can I Seek Unclaimed Money and Unclaimed Property in a State I Never Lived In?

Shar Mansukhani and John Hilbert with Heir Hunters International Answer Your Unclaimed Money and Unclaimed Property Questions

S.J. asks Heir Hunters International:

Question: “I was wondering if there is unclaimed money and unclaimed property in a state I never lived in under my last name with no first name.  Can I claim this unclaimed money and unclaimed property?”

The Short Answer: Sure. Your unclaimed property and unclaimed money can be anywhere in the world, not just in the states in which you resided, and you may certainly assert your right to any unclaimed property and unclaimed money which you believe is yours.

The Long Answer:  Your Unclaimed Money and Unclaimed Property may be located anywhere in the world.  In beginning an investigation into a missing heir case or unclaimed property case, Heir Hunters International has no idea where the research will lead.   In their efforts to find missing heirs and claimants to property, Shar Mansukhani and John Hilbert have visited nearly twenty foreign countries, and have handled cases from many more countries, such as China, Singapore, and Australia.  A decedent with no known heirs may have rightful heirs in a foreign county, and you may be a missing heir to a foreign relative.

Also, more often than you might imagine, holders of unclaimed money and unclaimed property, such as corporations issuing stock certificates and insurance companies administering death benefits, maintain a corporate or legal residence that is not in the state where you reside.  For various reasons, many corporations are located in either Delaware or Nevada. Sixty percent of all American corporations are incorporated in Delaware, with Nevada a close second.   If one were looking for an ownership interest in stock or life insurance benefits, therefore, it would be wise to begin your search in Nevada and Delaware.

You can legally assert ownership to the “out of state” unclaimed money and unclaimed property. The procedure for you to claim this “out-of-state” unclaimed money and unclaimed property will be very much, if not exactly, like the procedure you would use to claim “in-state” property.  In commencing the process, you should always check with the holder on its procedural requirements for asserting a claim.  More often than not, the holder will mandate completion of the holder’s claim form.  The claim form will ask for your name and a/k/a’s, addresses, and social security number.  Also, you should attach any documentation linking you to the unclaimed money and unclaimed property.  It goes without saying, the more paperwork you can provide the more likely the holder will accept your ownership claim.  But even without any supporting documentation, you should still seek ownership rights.

“Time Is Of the Essence!”  It is wise to remember that, at any given moment, you may lose–forever–your ownership rights.  When that will occur depends on the expropriation laws and statutes of the state or country holding your unclaimed money and unclaimed property.  Obviously simply looking for the funds will not prevent your loss, but even after submitting your claim form will often not stay or prevent the seizure of the funds by governmental authorities.