Unclaimed Property Notes and Updates
How California unclaimed property actually works, where claims go wrong, and what the whole file looks like when you count it.
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Which Property Types Dominate California’s Unclaimed File?
Across California's unclaimed property file, cashier's checks appear most often, with 682,998 records, but checking accounts hold the most money, at $1,078,405,026. Individual policy benefits rank second by count yet last by value among…
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Why Stale Letters of Administration Delay Estate Claims
An executor or administrator filing a California unclaimed property claim usually needs letters of administration or letters testamentary that are recently issued or certified, often within six months. A copy pulled from an old…
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CUSIPs and Escheated Shares: Tracing Stock Back to You
A CUSIP is the nine-character code identifying a specific security, regardless of what name the issuing company currently uses. Because escheated shares are filed under the CUSIP and the account name, a reader holding…
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Claiming Unclaimed Property for a Business That No Longer Exists
A business that has closed, been acquired, or now trades under a different name can still have unclaimed property sitting on record under its old name. The State keeps the record as the holder…
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Two State Files: Why Dead Relative Searches Come Up Empty
California's State Controller keeps two separate files. The ordinary unclaimed property file holds 14,639,722 records reported by banks and businesses. A second file, the Estates of Deceased Persons File, lists 37,166 probate estates, of…
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When One Heir Cannot Be Found, the Whole Claim Stops
The short answer Where an estate was never probated, the State Controller accepts a Table of Heirship — but every person entitled to succeed has to be identified and has to sign. One heir…
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Someone Else Has Already Filed a Claim on Your Property
The short answer 445,006 records in California’s unclaimed property file already carry a claim. Most were filed by the rightful owner. Some were filed by a relative who got there first, an heir who…
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Claiming Property Reported Under a Company That No Longer Exists
The short answer Property reported under a company that dissolved, merged or was acquired does not disappear with the company. The State Controller will pay it out, but only to a claimant who can…
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Your Shares Were Sold at Escheat. Here Is What You Actually Get.
The short answer California does not hold your shares. The State Controller is required to sell escheated securities no sooner than 18 months and no later than 20 months after they were due to…
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The 180-Day Clock Only Starts When Your Claim Is Complete
The short answer The State Controller allows itself up to 180 days to review an unclaimed property claim, but that clock only starts when it receives a complete package. A claim filed with missing…
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