Illinois Treasurer Urges Residents to Search for Unclaimed Money

With Halloween approaching, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is encouraging residents to visit the I-CASH website and see whether unclaimed money is waiting for them.

“You might find enough money for a bag of candy, a really good Halloween costume or tickets to a haunted house. Maybe even enough to take your friends out to see a scary movie,” Frerichs said. “And speaking of scary movies, I checked the I-CASH database, and it looks like there’s money waiting for several people named Michael Myers and even a few named Fred Krueger.”

The Treasurer’s Office also said it found missing money tied to a couple of Lizzie Bordens, plenty of Jasons and several people named Kathy Bates, though none for Annie Wilkes. Unclaimed property was also listed for some Pumpkins, Ghosts and a few Gourds.

I-CASH is one of Illinois’ oldest consumer protection programs. The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is responsible for safeguarding and returning unclaimed property, including contents from forgotten safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, abandoned bank accounts and unused rebate cards. By law, the Illinois treasurer must return unclaimed property to its rightful owner or heirs, no matter how long that takes.

Frerichs said the ICash program returned a record $307.8 million in missing money to more than 567,000 residents, businesses and organizations during a recent fiscal year. That topped the previous year’s total of $303.8 million returned to nearly 312,000 residents.

Overall, Frerichs has returned more than $2.65 billion in missing money during his time in office. When he first became treasurer, about 60,000 claims were paid each year. In a typical year now, more than 300,000 claims are paid.

He has also added a Friends and Family “share” feature. Visitors who find the name of someone they know on the I-CASH website can click the “share” icon and enter that person’s email address. The treasurer’s office then sends an email alert about the missing money and includes the name of the friend or relative who spotted it, allowing that person to begin the claim process.

Frerichs has also introduced a Spanish-language missing money website. It functions the same way as the English version: users enter a name and a city or ZIP code, and if there is a match, they can begin filing a claim online.

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office recommends checking for missing money at least twice a year.