Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is encouraging all residents of the State to take 2 minutes of their time to search www.mycash.wyo.gov and see if they are entitled to any of the $110 million in Unclaimed Property that has been turned over to the Wyoming State Treasurer’s Office.

     To help get the word out, Gov. Gordon has proclaimed Feb. 1 “Unclaimed Property Day.”

     “We really appreciate the Governor helping spread the word about Unclaimed Property,” Wyoming State Treasurer Curt Meier said. “Our Governor previously served as Treasurer, and he understands the challenges of informing Wyoming citizens that there are millions of dollars waiting to be repaid.”

     Meier said these “properties” are usually money, but they can also include stock and mutual fund shares as well as the contents of safe deposit boxes that have been abandoned.

     “During the last fiscal year that ended June 30, our office issued 9,342 checks worth more than $10.64 million,” Meier said. “Since that time, we have received close to $12 million in new money, so even if you have found any of these unclaimed funds in the past, it is worth the time to search your name again.”

     Some of these properties may only be worth a few pennies, but the State of Wyoming paid one individual more than $740,000 in the last fiscal year. More recently, the State has issued six separate checks exceeding $100,000 in the current fiscal year, including a check just a few pennies shy of $110,000 mailed to a Sublette County resident at the end of January.

     Nationally, nearly 33 million people in the United States – almost 15 percent of the population – are owed unclaimed property, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). More than $2.87 billion was returned by all the states over the last year.

     Common examples of unclaimed property include unpaid life insurance benefits, account refunds, forgotten bank accounts, royalty payments, utility deposits and unused rebate cards, to name a few.

     Those wanting to see if they are owed any of the properties held by the State are encouraged to watch the 2-minute instructional video at www.mycash.wyo.gov before searching the online database.

     Unclaimed property is turned over to the state of last known address. If there was no last known address, it is turned over to the state in which the business was incorporated. Taking this into account, those who have lived in another state may want to visit www.missingmoney.com and see if they are owed unclaimed property from any other state. 

     To make a valid claim at www.mycash.wyo.gov or any other state’s site, owners will need to provide information about themselves and may need to submit official documents. This could be as simple as a copy of a driver’s license, but additional documents may be required for those claiming as an heir or a closed/dissolved business.

     Wyoming law requires the State to hold unclaimed property in perpetuity until it is claimed by the rightful owner.