SC Treasurer announces return of $35 million in unclaimed funds

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis announced that $35.3 million in unclaimed property has been returned to South Carolinians this past fiscal year.

“We appreciate our partners in the media, followers on social media and community organizations that help us spread the word about unclaimed property,” Loftis said. “I always encourage people to search their names at least twice a year, as we’re always receiving new properties.”

The treasurer’s office says that millions of dollars are transferred to the Unclaimed Property Program annually by companies that cannot locate the rightful owners. The State Treasurer’s Office acts as custodian of those funds until those owners can be located. Currently, the treasurer’s office has more than $700 million in unclaimed property for individuals, businesses and organizations across the state.

Since taking office, Loftis says he has returned over $260 million in unclaimed funds, more than all previous state treasurers combined.

South Carolina residents can go to the treasurer’s office’s web page to see if there is any unclaimed property waiting for them.

“At a time when so many South Carolinians have been impacted by this 100-year pandemic, I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of our staff to reconnect so many people with their missing funds,” Loftis said. “Getting these funds back to the rightful owners has been a priority of mine since 2011, and I continue to be humbled by the people who share their stories about how these funds have changed their lives for the better.”

When funds are returned to people, the treasurers office says those people are asked to complete a brief survey where they can share feedback on their customer service experience as well as how these funds may have helped them.

Recently a man named John from Green Pond said “Being a small business owner through this past year has been tough to say the least. Finding out I had over $1,000 in unclaimed money was a blessing.”

The treasurers office says they also found a man’s $30,000, but they were proactive and reached out to him because of its size.