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I am New York State Comptroller Thomas dinapoli
There are many New Yorkers who may have money coming to them from what we call Unclaimed
Funds.
Banks, insurance companies, utilities, investment firms
and other businesses are required to surrender inactive accounts to the state.
These could be forgotten savings accounts utility deposits that where never returned,
dividends on investments sometimes it's just a few dollars but it can also be a substantial
amount of money.
The office of the state comptroller serves as custodian of these funds until they are claimed.
If my office is holding funds for you and you can prove your entitled to the money
we'll return it to you without charge.
There are two ways to claim money that may belong to you.
You can either complete the process online, or you'll need to fill out and mail a
claim form to my office.
Which process applies to depends on a variety of circumstances
including the type of claim funds in question
and the accuracy of information that's been reported to us.
Now let's see how easy it is to find out if there might be some money that belongs to
you.
The first thing you should do is run a search of your name to see if you're in our database.
This fictitious name has turned up two results.
The top is an example of the online claim process.
the bottom will show us the mail in form.
Let's take a look at the top result.
The on-line process involves six easy steps to claim the funds.
First review the item details on the right side of the screen
to make certain you're entitled to the funds.
then confirm that this is your name and that you once used this address.
next read the notes about the personal
privacy protection law. To do your transaction online we'll need
your Security Security number
and other personal information.
Step three enter your Social Security number.
Enter only numbers; no dashes.
Then we'll ask you to provide your contact information.
Be sure to enter your complete name and your current mailing address.
If your address includes an apartment number, please fill that in. This is the address that
will be used to mail your check or to request additional information from you.
Then double check your mailing address because an incorrect address will cause delays in
processing your claim.
Before you validate your claim and complete the process, be sure to read the information
on the screen it carefully.
If this is not your name or you have not used this address
you should not submit your claim online.
If the information is correct
click finish to submit your claim.
Your claim has been submitted.
Note the confirmation number.
You will not see the dollar amount of the claim
but you can expect to receive a check from my office within three to five business days.
Remember, if you choose not to claim online
or if your item was not eligible to be claimed online
you can use the mailing process.
Let's go back to original search results to see how that's done.
This bottom search result is an example of the mailing claim form process.
There are three easy steps involved.
Like our previous example make sure the item details on the right-hand side seem correct
and carefully fill in all the required contact information.
Now you’re ready to print your claim form.
Review all the information for accuracy
when you're ready use your browser to print the form.
Be sure to sign the form in the presence of a notary public,
attach all required documentation
and mail it to the address provided.
That's it.
We want to make sure that New Yorkers get the money they have coming to them.
I hope you'll take the time today
to see if you're on the list.
I'm New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
and thanks for watching.