Pasadena Unclaimed Property: $103.7 Million on Record

• The State Controller holds 95,966 unclaimed property records tied to Pasadena addresses, worth $103,734,239 combined.
• 1,335 of those records are worth $10,000 or more, though the average record holds $1,081.
• The largest reporters are Metlife, Anthem, Metropolitan Life and Prudential Insurance, mostly from premium refunds and policy benefit payments.
• California places no deadline on claiming this property, aside from estates that have permanently escheated to the State.
• A recovery firm's fee for property reported under §1530 is capped at 10 per cent of what is recovered; probate estates are not subject to that cap.

How much unclaimed property does the State hold for Pasadena?

The California State Controller currently lists 95,966 unclaimed property records tied to Pasadena addresses, with a combined value of $103,734,239. Most of these accounts are modest: the average record holds $1,081. But 1,335 of them are worth $10,000 or more, and some are considerably larger. These figures come from the Controller’s own published files, which are updated as holders report new property and owners file claims.

An unclaimed property record is not found money sitting in a vault. It is a debt the State is holding on behalf of whoever the holder — a bank, insurer, employer or utility — last had on record as the owner. If you have ever lived in Pasadena, worked for a company based there, or held an insurance policy or bank account tied to a Pasadena address, there is a real chance your name appears somewhere in that list.

Who reported this property, and what kind is it?

Insurance companies and financial institutions account for most of the reports linked to Pasadena. The largest single reporters are Metlife Inc. (1,798 records, $1,766,552), Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (1,251 records, $1,902,277), Prudential Insurance Company (1,054 records, $2,762,372), Anthem Inc. (1,565 records, $760,873), Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club (1,116 records, $346,152), and Citibank N.A. (1,063 records, $684,376).

The most common categories reflect that mix. Group policy benefit and claim payments make up 5,072 records worth $2,961,853. Premium refunds account for 5,677 records worth $2,214,813. Individual policy benefits and claims add another 4,208 records worth $4,234,813. Accounts payable entries, typically owed to businesses or former employees, total 4,871 records worth $4,513,085, and general refunds due make up 4,789 records worth $2,051,223.

In practice, this often means a policy that lapsed, a refund check that never found you after a move, or a final paycheck adjustment that was never resolved.

Is there a deadline to claim Pasadena unclaimed property?

No. California places no deadline on claiming unclaimed property. The Controller holds it indefinitely until the owner, or their heirs, come forward. The one exception is an estate that has been permanently escheated to the State — in that case, title has already passed to California and the property is no longer recoverable. That outcome is uncommon and does not describe the great majority of records covered here.

This means there is no urgency built into the law itself. What changes over time is how easy the property is to trace: addresses go stale, holders merge or dissolve, and the paperwork needed to prove a claim can become harder to gather the longer it waits.

What does it cost to get help recovering it?

By law, a firm that helps locate, deliver or recover property reported under Code of Civil Procedure §1530 cannot charge more than 10 per cent of what is recovered. That cap applies to the property records described on this page. It does not apply to estates that reach the State through county probate; the Controller states there are no fee restrictions on investigators filing for the heirs of a probated estate, because those matters proceed under the Probate Code rather than §1530.

Separately, no recovery agreement can require payment before the Controller has approved the claim and paid the owner, and no agreement can be signed in the window between a holder’s report and the State taking custody of the property. California Unclaimed Property Services charges a percentage of what is actually recovered, and nothing if nothing is recovered.

What if the property belonged to someone who has died?

If the owner named on a record has died, the property may pass to the estate rather than sit as an ordinary unclaimed property record. California also maintains a separate Estates of Deceased Persons File, refreshed each April and October, listing the decedent, the heirs on record, the county and the remaining balance. Our own index currently tracks 4,438 claimable probate estates nationwide holding about $59,038,273.

Claiming as an heir or executor generally requires more documentation than an individual claim — proof of death, proof of relationship, and sometimes letters of administration. Whether a particular estate is still open, and who is legally entitled to what remains, is a question for an attorney; we do not advise on inheritance rights.

How do I check whether any of this is mine?

The fastest way to find out is to search by name. Our index covers 14,800,558 property records statewide, including the 95,966 tied to Pasadena. If a match turns up, the next step is confirming the record is really yours and assembling the documents the Controller requires — which can mean a notarized claim form for larger amounts, since claims of $1,000 or more in cash, and all securities and safe deposit box claims, must be notarized regardless of value.

If you would rather not handle the filing yourself, we can search, verify and file on your behalf for a percentage of what is recovered, owed only once the State has paid.

Questions People Ask

Figures on this page are from our copy of the State Controller’s published file as it stood on 10 September 2026. The State republishes the file weekly, so current totals will differ. Search is always against the latest copy.