Unclaimed property event set for next week in Cape Girardeau

Note: These events have been cancelled. Visit showmemoney.com to search for unclaimed property.

The Missouri State Treasurer’s Office will be in Cape Girardeau next week to help residents discover whether they have a portion of the $12 million in unclaimed property in Cape Girardeau County and the surrounding area.

Statewide, the office holds more than $1 billion in unclaimed property for Missouri residents, in more than 5 million owner accounts, according to www.treasurer.mo.gov.

Each year, the site states, financial institutions, businesses, government agencies and other organizations turn over cash and the contents of safe deposit boxes to the treasurer’s office.

These entities are required to turn over the property after five years of no contact or document transaction with the owner.

Unclaimed money could be from abandoned bank accounts, uncollected insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits or wages from past jobs, the website states.

“One in 10 Missourians has unclaimed property, and the average return is $300,” the site states.

In Cape Girardeau County, approximately $6 million in cash is unclaimed, according to the treasurer’s office.

In Scott County, $3 million is unclaimed; Perry County, $804,000; Bollinger County, $392,000; and Stoddard County, $1.9 million, for a total of more than $12 million in cash in the Cape Girardeau County area, according to the treasurer’s office.

Aside from the cash value, items are sometimes found — everything from family heirlooms to jewelry and other keepsakes, according to the website.

In September, the treasurer’s office held an unclaimed property auction in Springfield, Missouri, where more than 2,000 items, including old coins and currency, stamps, jewelry, signed sports memorabilia and more, were auctioned off.

If military insignia or medals are found, the treasurer’s office works to return those items to the service member or next of kin. Military honors or medals are not auctioned. More information may be found at www.treasurer.mo.gov/military.

The treasurer’s office does not handle real property such as land, houses, cars and boats, the website notes.

Representatives from the treasurer’s office will be at the following locations:

• 3 to 6 p.m. Monday at West Park Mall
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library

Residents can search for and file claims for unclaimed property at the stations, online anytime at www.ShowMeMoney.com or claimants may write to The Office of the Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, Unclaimed Property, PO Box 1004, Jefferson City, MO 65102. When writing, claimants should include a list of owner names, addresses and previous addresses, if known. To recover unclaimed property, claimants must be either the original owner of the property or a legal heir if the original owner is deceased.