San Francisco Unclaimed Property: 511,916 Records, $613,788,614

• San Francisco has 511,916 unclaimed property records worth $613,788,614 in total, with an average value of $1,199 per record.
• 8,441 San Francisco records are worth $10,000 or more.
• California places no deadline on claiming unclaimed property, except for estates that have been permanently escheated to the State.
• A recovery fee for property reported under §1530 cannot exceed 10 per cent, though that cap does not reach county probated estates.
• California Unclaimed Property Services charges 10 per cent of what is recovered and nothing if nothing is recovered.

How much unclaimed property is the State holding for San Francisco?

The California State Controller’s Office lists 511,916 unclaimed property records tied to San Francisco addresses, together worth $613,788,614. That works out to an average of $1,199 per record, though individual claims vary widely: 8,441 of those records are worth $10,000 or more. The money comes from old bank accounts, insurance payouts, uncashed checks, refunds and other property that a business or agency could not deliver to its rightful owner and was required by law to turn over to the State.

Which companies reported the most unclaimed property from San Francisco?

A small number of large holders account for a disproportionate share of San Francisco’s records. The largest reporters we index are:

• Metlife Inc. — 8,884 records, $8,574,763
• Wells Fargo Bank N.A. — 6,989 records, $12,324,049
• Metropolitan Life Insurance Company — 6,194 records, $10,116,572
• Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (Apecs 1009) — 5,964 records, $8,959,148
• Pacific Gas & Electric Company — 7,053 records, $3,819,528
• Citibank N.A. — 5,746 records, $3,831,906

A holder appearing on this list is not proof that any particular individual has property waiting. It shows only which businesses generated the most reports from the city, often through insurance policies, payroll, refunds or dormant accounts.

What kinds of unclaimed property show up most in San Francisco?

The most common categories in the San Francisco file are:

• Accounts Payable — 21,111 records, $21,906,540
• Refunds Due — 33,496 records, $14,590,466
• Credit Bal – Accts Receivable — 22,032 records, $16,327,027
• Other — 23,955 records, $13,998,423
• Misc Outstanding Checks — 22,750 records, $12,637,106
• Premium Refunds — 20,793 records, $11,647,377

These categories reflect ordinary business processes rather than anything unusual: a refund that could not be delivered, a check that was never cashed, an account credit that went unclaimed when a relationship ended.

Is there a deadline to claim unclaimed property in California?

California places no deadline on claiming unclaimed property. Money and property reported to the Controller are held indefinitely until the owner, or the owner’s heirs, come forward. There is no cutoff date after which a valid claim stops being payable. The one exception is an estate that has been permanently escheated to the State, meaning the State has taken title after the statutory notice period for a probate estate has run without a claim; no claim will be paid on those. Everything else in the property file, however old, remains claimable.

What if the property comes from a deceased relative's estate?

Estates of deceased persons that pass through county probate reach the Controller by a different route than everyday unclaimed property and are governed by the Probate Code rather than Code of Civil Procedure §1530. Across California, we index 37,166 probate estates, of which 4,438 are still claimable, holding about $59,038,273 in total. The State Controller’s Estates of Deceased Persons File lists the decedent, the heirs on record, the county and the case number, refreshed twice a year. Whether you, or someone else, has the legal right to claim as an heir is a question for a probate attorney; we advise on locating and filing, not on entitlement.

What does it cost to use a recovery service?

By law, a recovery fee for property reported under §1530 cannot exceed 10 per cent of what is recovered. That cap does not reach probate estates, where the Controller states there are no fee restrictions on investigators filing for owners or heirs. Either way, an agreement is invalid if it asks for payment before the Controller has approved the claim and paid the owner, and invalid if it is signed during the window between when a holder reports the property and when it actually delivers that property to the Controller. A valid agreement must be in writing, must disclose the nature and value of the property, state that the Controller holds it, and give the address where the owner could claim it directly. The owner may challenge the agreement at any time if the fee turns out to be excessive or unjust.

California Unclaimed Property Services charges 10 per cent of what is recovered and nothing if nothing is recovered.

How do I check if I'm on the list?

The fastest way to find out whether any of the 511,916 San Francisco records belong to you, a relative, or a business you have run is to search our index by name. If you find a match, or want us to check the probate estate file as well, our full-service recovery team can handle the paperwork, notarization and follow-up with the Controller’s office on your behalf, and we only charge if the claim is paid.

Questions People Ask

Figures on this page are from our copy of the State Controller’s published file as it stood on 7 September 2026. The State republishes the file weekly, so current totals will differ. Search is always against the latest copy.