San Jose Unclaimed Property: $316 Million Held by the State

• 356,233 unclaimed property records tied to San Jose are on file with the State Controller, worth $316,038,265 combined.
• 3,772 of those San Jose records are worth $10,000 or more, though the average record is $887.
• Pacific Gas & Electric, Metlife, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Bank of America account for a large share of the San Jose total.
• California places no deadline on claiming this property, so an old record does not expire.
• Any recovery fee we charge is capped at 10 per cent of what is paid out, and nothing is owed unless money is recovered.

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

The State Controller currently lists 356,233 unclaimed property records connected to San Jose, with a combined value of $316,038,265. Each record represents money that a bank, employer, insurer or other business could not deliver to its rightful owner and was legally required to turn over to the State rather than keep. The average record is worth $887, which tells you most of this property is made up of smaller items: a final paycheck, a refund, an old account balance.

The range is wide, though. 3,772 of the San Jose records are valued at $10,000 or more, so a name search is worth doing even if you expect nothing large. These numbers come from the State Controller’s own downloadable property file, which we index in full for California, not just San Jose.

Which companies reported the most unclaimed property in San Jose?

A small number of large holders account for a substantial share of the San Jose total. The businesses that reported the most records are:

• Wells Fargo Bank NA (Apecs 1009) — 5,463 records, $7,973,281
• Bank of America NA — 3,491 records, $5,374,744
• Metlife Inc. — 5,502 records, $5,764,216
• Wells Fargo Bank NA — 4,159 records, $4,853,002
• Pacific Gas & Electric Company — 5,762 records, $2,692,689
• Citibank N A — 4,276 records, $2,147,612

If you banked with Wells Fargo, held a life insurance policy with Metlife, or ever had a PG&E account tied to a San Jose address, these are the holders most likely to have reported something in your name.

What kinds of property are most common in San Jose?

The State groups unclaimed property by type. In San Jose, the largest categories are:

• Refunds Due — 23,849 records, $9,290,477
• Misc Intangible Prop — 12,541 records, $6,996,812
• Premium Refunds — 19,642 records, $6,895,834
• Wages, Payroll, Salaries — 17,262 records, $6,680,004
• Credit Bal – Accts Receivable — 13,936 records, $6,616,399
• Misc Outstanding Checks — 18,403 records, $8,582,108

Wages and payroll records are often the easiest to explain: a final paycheck sent to an old address, or a check that never got cashed after someone changed jobs or moved. Refunds and premium refunds tend to come from insurers and utilities closing out an account. None of these categories require a bank failure or fraud; they usually just mean paperwork went stale.

Is there a deadline to claim San Jose unclaimed property?

No. California places no deadline on claiming unclaimed property, and the State holds it indefinitely until the owner or an heir comes forward (State Controller, Unclaimed Property). A record that has sat in the file for ten or twenty years is claimable today the same as one reported last month. The one exception is an estate that has been permanently escheated to the State, meaning the State has taken title outright; that property is no longer recoverable, and it is a distinct situation from the ordinary unclaimed property described here.

If the property in question came through a deceased relative’s estate rather than a bank or employer, the rules and the fee structure are different. See our page on probate estates and the second State file for that process.

What does it cost to have California Unclaimed Property Services search and claim on my behalf?

By law, a fee to locate, deliver or recover property reported under Code of Civil Procedure §1530 cannot exceed 10 per cent of what is recovered (CCP §1582(a)(2)(C)). That cap applies to the kind of property described on this page, the ordinary bank, payroll, refund and insurance records reported by businesses. It does not apply the same way to estates that reach the State through county probate, where the Controller states there are no fee restrictions for investigators; we cover that separately on our finder fee law page.

We charge 10 per cent of what is recovered and nothing if nothing is recovered. No fee can be collected before the State has approved the claim and paid the owner (CCP §1582(a)(1)(B)); any agreement that asks for money upfront is invalid on its face. Our agreements disclose the nature and value of the property, confirm the State holds it, and are signed only after you have seen that disclosure, as the statute requires (CCP §1582(a)(2)(A)-(B)).

How do I check whether the State is holding something for me?

Start with a name search across our index, which covers 14,800,558 property records statewide, including the 356,233 tied to San Jose. If something turns up, the next question is what the State will need to pay it out: identity documents, sometimes a notarized signature, and proof connecting you to the name on the record.

You can do this work yourself, or you can let us do the searching, matching and paperwork and pay only if we recover something. Either way, the first step is the same: find out whether a record exists at all. Search our index now, or read how to claim to see what the process involves before you start.

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.