MORGANTOWN — State Treasurer John Perdue’s office is providing a special section to newspapers across the state to insert for their readers.
Copies of “Discover,” a list of more than 15,000 rightful owners of unclaimed property will be included in the Oct. 11 print edition of The Dominion Post. The list is only available in print.
“Discover” goes to the largest newspaper in each county while some are direct mailed to homes, according to a press release from Perdue’s office.
The inserts typically have a large impact on generating claims. Many people hear their name is included and either file an electronic claim at www.wvtreasury.com; submit the paper claim included in the publication; or call the Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division at 800-642-8687 to speak personally with a Perdue staff member.
Perdue’s office produces two such publications a year, in hopes rightful owners will see their names and file claims for the assets, the press release stated.
Unclaimed property is any asset from which an individual has become unintentionally separated, such as a forgotten utility deposit; abandoned safe deposit box contents; or stock dividends for which there has been no recent action. Unclaimed property has nothing to do with real estate, the release explained.
When financial assets are left behind with a “holder,” such as a bank or insurance company, that entity is obliged — after a certain dormancy period — to turn the asset over to the Treasurer’s Office. That office staff attempts to find the last owner of record through means such as “Discover.”
“We trust this issue is as effective as past ones have been,” Perdue said in his press release. “We want people to know their assets are out there and ready to be claimed. As I always say, ‘It’s your money and we want you to have it.’ ”
