State Treasurer Roby Smith announced the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt had a record-setting annual reporting season with more than $68 million of unclaimed property reported to the Great IowaTreasure Hunt.
The amount represents a significant increase from the previous record of $42.8 million, set in the prior year reporting season.
“Each November, businesses and entities are required to report money and other assets, collectively called unclaimed property, to the State Treasurer’s Office if they have lost contact with the owner for a specific period of time,” Mr. Smith explained. “It’s then our responsibility to safeguard the assets and work to reunite owners with their unclaimed property through the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program.”
Mr. Smith, of Davenport, added “Returning money to rightful owners and heirs is what Great Iowa Treasure Hunt is all about, and I’m excited to get even more money back in the hands of Iowans. The number of individuals and businesses having unclaimed money also broke a new record, with over 486,000 names sent to our office this reporting season, compared to 268,000 last year.”
As Iowa’s only legitimate source of unclaimed property, the Treasurer’s Office encourages past and present Iowans to search for their unclaimed property anytime by visiting GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.
“Even if you’ve found unclaimed property in the past, check our website again,” the treasurer urged. “It is always free to search and claim from the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt. The secure site allows you to search not only for your name but also for businesses and people you know. The individual the money or assets belong to can submit a claim directly to our office on GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.”
For additional information, visit GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov. Stay up-to-date with the Iowa Treasurer’s Office events and news on Facebook, Instagram and X.
