Unclaimed Property: $4.8M sent to Louisianans

BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — 27,125 Unclaimed Property checks are being sent to Louisianans on Thursday, totaling $4.8 million.

Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder said checks will be mailed to every parish in the state, and if you get one in the mail, you can cash it right away.

“And, if you don’t receive a check, you may still be owed unclaimed money,” he added. “We can’t return all money this way, but we can at least give back $4.8 million. Please go to LaCashClaim.org to check your name and file a claim.”

With more than $900 million in Unclaimed Property to return, Louisiana Treasury has been using technology to increase the rate of return of Unclaimed Property. Through data matches, Treasury is able to update addresses and issue checks for money that many recipients didn’t even know they were owed. 

What is unclaimed property? The State Treasury defines it as financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for several years. When the company cannot locate the owner, the money or properties are submitted to the state. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, payroll checks, old bank accounts, royalties, utility deposits, interest payments, and stock certificates.

One of the main reasons an item becomes unclaimed property is an incorrect or old address. Since 2018, the State Treasury and Department of Revenue have worked together to find updated addresses to return unclaimed property to Louisianans without them even needing to file a claim.

One in six individuals in Louisiana has Unclaimed Property, with claims averaging $900. To find out if you have Unclaimed Property, search at www.LaCashClaim.org or call the Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division toll-free at 1-888-925-4127 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.mm to 4:30 p.m.).

Below is a list of Parishes in alphabetical order, amounts returned, and a total number of checks issued: