Press Releases

State Treasurer Riley Moore visited the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday, July 6, to make two unclaimed property presentations worth more than $68,000 to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and local resident Ramona Thompson.

“It was great returning funds to their rightful owners in my home county,” Treasurer Moore said. “I enjoyed partnering with Sheriff Hansen and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. They’re doing an excellent job protecting our community.”

Treasurer Moore presented Sheriff Tom Hansen and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department with a check worth $21,144.96. Most of the funds were from outstanding bank checks and an unclaimed vendor reimbursement.

“Our department will thoroughly assess how the funds from the unclaimed property check can be best utilized to serve our office, community members and Jefferson County as a whole,” Sheriff Hansen said.

Thompson received a $47,334.10 check from Treasurer Moore. The funds were from unclaimed insurance proceeds.

Treasurer Moore said his Unclaimed Property Division has more than 3 million listings valued at more than $300 million. He encouraged everyone to visit www.wvtreasury.com and click on the “Search” button to see if the Office is holding any assets in their name.


What is Unclaimed Property?

Unclaimed property can include financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for one year or longer. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. (While the title includes the word “property,” it does not however include real estate.)

West Virginia’s unclaimed property laws protect the public by ensuring money and property owed to them is returned to them, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions, business associations, governments and other entities. The Treasurer seeks to reunite the unclaimed property, including uncashed paychecks, stocks, or safe deposit box contents, with its owner.

Nationwide, nearly 33 million people in the United States – one in every 10 – are estimated to have unclaimed property available for them to claim.

How Can I Find Unclaimed Property in My Name?

West Virginians searching for lost financial assets can go to www.wvtreasury.com, then click on the large Unclaimed Property “Search” button to the right of the page under the heading, “Are We Holding Your Money?” In addition to finding property, the www.wvtreasury.com website will also help you track a claim.

A demonstration of how to use the Unclaimed Property search site is available on the Treasury’s YouTube page, at: https://youtu.be/K09yQ7YNKlE.

To search for lost financial assets outside West Virginia, visit www.FindMyFunds.com or www.MissingMoney.com.

The Treasury does not collect state taxes. Visit the The West Virginia State Tax Department for assistance.

West Virginia State Treasurer's Office
1900 Kanawha Boulevard
Capitol Complex Building #1, Room E-145
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
304-558-5000 Toll Free: 800-422-7498
Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm (ET)

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