SC Treasurer: 1 in 10 have unclaimed funds waiting

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis announced that more than 615,000 new properties have been reported to the State’s Unclaimed Property Program.

“We know that approximately 1 in 10 Americans have unclaimed property. Each year billions of dollars get returned to State Treasurer’s Offices across the country,” Loftis said. “Over the years, we’ve found people with a few hundred dollars to claims valued at nearly $1 million.”

There is more than $750 million in unclaimed property throughout South Carolina. These could be in the form of dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds and forgotten utility deposits.

Every fall, companies that are holding unclaimed property for South Carolinians must turn these funds over to the state’s Unclaimed Property Program, which is administered by Loftis. These reports are then added to the unclaimed property database where the public can search for and claim these funds.

Since 2011, more than $260 million has been returned to South Carolinians.

To see if there is any money waiting for you, visit the State’s Treasurer’s Office website at treasurer.sc.gov.