Full-service Recovery
We handle the search, the documents, the notarization and the filing. Ten percent of what is recovered — the statutory maximum — and nothing is owed until the Controller has paid you.
Last reviewed Written from State Controller, State Controller data Everything here is checkable without asking us.
What We Do
Search
We check the state database under every spelling of your name, plus maiden names, initials and former addresses.
Verify
We tell you exactly which documents prove the claim is yours — the list differs by property type and by who is claiming.
Notarize
Claims over $1,000 in cash, all securities and all safe deposit boxes must be notarized. We are a commissioned California notary.
Receive
The State Controller pays you directly. Our fee is invoiced only after that payment reaches you.
What Is Included
- Searching under every reasonable variant of the name
- A written disclosure of the property and its value before you sign anything
- The complete document checklist for your specific situation
- Assembly and verification of the packet before it is filed
- Notarization of the claim affirmation by a commissioned California notary
- Filing with the State Controller and tracking through review
- Handling requests for further information, and denials
Nothing Owed Until You Are Paid
The Controller pays you directly. We invoice afterwards. §1582 bars us from collecting a fee before your claim has been approved and paid, and we would not structure it any other way.
When We Will Tell You Not to Hire Us
If the amount is small and the paperwork is simple, ten percent of it is not worth paying and we will say so. The DIY kit exists for exactly that case, and the free option at the Controller exists whether we sell you anything or not.
How You Are Protected
Our fee is capped at ten per cent of what is recovered by Code of Civil Procedure §1582, and nothing is owed until the State Controller has paid you. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing. Our recovery fee is never asked for up front — it comes out of money the Controller has already paid you. A booking deposit on an in-person appointment is a separate thing, and is credited back against anything you are charged.
California Unclaimed Property Services is a private asset recovery firm. We are not the California State Controller’s Office.
Sources
This page is written from the public record. Read the originals rather than taking our summary of them.
We are a private firm. We are not the State Controller’s office, not affiliated with it, and not endorsed by it.
From the knowledge base
How This Actually Works
- 16 Oct 2026 Unclaimed Property Records: What Holders Must Keep California does not state a fixed retention period in the statute text we rely on, but a holder that cannot produce the…
- 15 Oct 2026 When Your Company’s EIN Changed: Finding Property Under the Old Name When a company is acquired, the State Controller's unclaimed property records stay filed under the legal name reported at the time, not…
- 15 Oct 2026 Why California Requires Notarized Unclaimed Property Claims California requires notarization for any cash claim of $1,000 or more, and for every securities or safe deposit box claim regardless of…
- 14 Oct 2026 The Two-Sided Business Audit for Unclaimed Property A California business can turn up twice in the State's unclaimed property records: once as the rightful owner of old refunds, dividends…
- 14 Oct 2026 Suspended California Corporations and Unclaimed Property A suspended California corporation may still appear on the State Controller's unclaimed property file, but the Controller will not release payment until…
- 13 Oct 2026 Owner of Record vs. Actual Owner: What the Name Really Means Owner of record is the name a company or bank reported when it handed unclaimed property to California, not a verified current…
- 13 Oct 2026 The Unclaimed Property Liability You Inherit in an Acquisition When a company acquires another, it also acquires that company's unclaimed property history: uncashed checks, dormant accounts, and any unreported liability now…
- 12 Oct 2026 California’s Two Unclaimed Property Reporting Calendars California holders follow one of two reporting calendars. Life insurance companies file their notice report before 1 May and remit property between…
- 12 Oct 2026 Table of Heirship: What It Is and When You Need One A Table of Heirship lists each heir's relationship to a deceased owner and their proportional share of an estate. It matters most…
- 11 Oct 2026 What California Does With Your Money While It Waits California does not spend, invest, or time-limit unclaimed property. The State Controller holds it in custody under the property's reported dollar value,…
Find out in About Thirty Seconds
Give us a name and we will check the State Controller’s records under every reasonable variant of it. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.