In Illinois, property is assumed abandoned when it remains unclaimed for at least five (5) years and attempts to contact the owner of the property have been unsuccessful. In the narratives below, the property remained unclaimed for well over five years, so the property was turned over to the Treasurer's Office for safekeeping until the owner can be identified. Illinois is a custodial state and will hold these assets indefinitely for the owner or legal heir.

It is a good thing that Illinois is a custodial state, because believe it or not, it is possible to forget about money in the bank. Take this story for example:

“In 1980 I had a bank account. I had forgotten about it. I would like some information regarding how I would go about finding this account information.”

In another situation, a family member may have passed away, leaving a savings book, a bond certificate, or a stock certificate and the bank exists, but has no record of the account. Take this story for example:

“My parents had savings accounts. Last month they went to take out the rest of their money and close the account. The bank clerk could not find their account and told them that all accounts with no activity for 5 years were closed and they would have to file paperwork to get their money. This could be done by going to the Illinois web site Cash-Dash.”

In another situation, a family member may have passed away, leaving a savings book, a bond certificate, or a stock certificate and now the bank no longer exists, but is unable to locate an active account or even a record of the account. Take this story for example:

“My father passed away a couple of years ago and in his papers was a bank book for an account. The last entry in the savings book was in 1971. To my knowledge he never closed the account, but I am told now that bank no longer exists. I have searched, but found nothing about that specific bank closing or being taken over by another. Can you tell me if the bank either changed its name or was taken over by another financial institution?”

If you happen to remember an old bank account you opened or if a family member leaves you with financial documents that show ownership of unclaimed property such as a bank account, bonds, or stocks, you should first search the Illinois Treasurer’s unclaimed property database at http://www.cashdash.net/. Click on the “Owners” button and search by the name of the owner.

If you would like to contact the Treasurer’s Office, here are some important phone numbers:

Inquiry: (217) 785-6992
Claims: (217) 782-6692
Reporting: (217) 524-0023

Note: For your privacy, the Treasurer's office does not accept email inquiries.

If you would like to make a written inquiry send it to:

Office of State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 19495
Springfield, IL 62794-9495

If Treasurer has no record of your property, then you may want to contact the institution that held your property and describe your situation. Please remember that property that is dormant for less than five (5) years has not been turned over to the Treasurer yet. If the bank that originally held your property has been purchased by another bank or has closed, you may find out what exactly happened to your institution by reading Find out what happened to your bank.

The Treasurer's Office administers the Illinois Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, which governs the disposition of unclaimed property.

Here is a list of items that are considered unclaimed property if abandoned for over 5 years.
· Inactive savings and checking accounts
· Safe deposit box contents
· Uncashed checks, money orders and gift certificates
· Unclaimed wages
· Stock shares, dividends and mutual funds
· Bonds and interest
· Utility deposits
· Paid-up life insurance policies
· Uncashed death benefits checks
· Estates
· Court ordered distributions
· Deposits or payment for repair or purchase of goods or services
· Credit checks or memos, or customer overpayments
· Unidentified remittances, unrefunded overcharges
· Unpaid claims, unpaid accounts payable or unpaid commissions
· Credit balances-accounts receivable, checks written off, employees bond buying and profit sharing

View entire list of ‘Citizens/Consumers…Did you know you can?’