What are unclaimed saving accounts?

Unclaimed savings accounts, referred to as unclaimed property, are accounts that have had no activity from the owner for a minimum of one year. The amount of time necessary for these acounts to be deemed "unclaimed" varies from state to state.

When an account reaches its state's unclaimed threshold, the institution that holds the account is required to turn the funds over to the state. The state then holds the funds until the rightful owner is found by the state treasurer or other designated officials. A national database, accessible to the public through MissingMoney.com, has been developed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators to assist in the search process.