Financial Friday: How to find missing money & claim it

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - State treasuries, the federal government, and other agencies are holding billions of dollars in unclaimed money that belong to US residents. This may be money from inactive bank or credit union accounts, utility deposits, tax refunds, or final paychecks.

Here’s the thing, it won’t look for you. You have to find it and claim what’s yours.

WAFF talked to financial expert, Patricia Lloyd at Redstone Federal Credit Union and she offered this advice.

• Check state coffers by using MissingMoney.com. It covers 40 states including Alabama and Tennessee. If you have moved around a lot, go to each state’s website and look up ‘unclaimed property.’
• Check the IRS for billions in refunds waiting for people who didn’t file their tax returns. You have three years to file and claim your refund.
• Did you work for a company that went out of business? If you participated in its pension program, check the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and search the unclaimed pensions database. That website is: https://www.pbgc.gov/
• Can’t find those savings bonds that grandma left you? Billions of dollars of matured savings bonds have never been redeemed. If your paper EE bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed, you will need to provide certain information before the treasury department can search for your bond. Go to www.treasury.gov to get more information.

For more ways to save be sure to tune in at noon every Friday for WAFF 48′s “Financial Friday” segment.

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