PA Treasurer Rob McCord Returns $10 Million of Unclaimed Property to Pennsylvanians in April

PA Treasurer Rob McCord Returns $10 Million of Unclaimed Property to Pennsylvanians in April

PA's unclaimed property program featured on Dateline NBC special this weekend

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Treasurer Rob McCord today announced that the Pennsylvania Treasury Department put over $10 million of citizens' money back in their wallets in April, helping more than double the number of Pennsylvanians compared to the same time period last year.

"In this challenging economy, it's urgent that people look everywhere they possibly can for extra cash, and our unclaimed property program helps citizens do just that," Treasurer McCord said. "I challenged my staff to put Pennsylvanians' money back in their wallets, faster, and this month alone we processed more than 10,000 claims representing over $10 million."

Treasurer McCord's commitment to reuniting citizens with their property led to the inclusion of Pennsylvania's unclaimed property program in the second installment of a Dateline NBC primetime special this Sunday, May 3, 2009.

Treasury partnered with Dateline NBC to follow an unclaimed property lead all the way to Germany to alert a former Pennsylvania resident that he is entitled to a large amount of money from an inheritance. This story and many more unclaimed property cases will be featured on Dateline's "You Might Be Rich!" special that will air on Sunday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m.

In the interview, taped in the "vault" in the Finance Building, Treasurer McCord tells NBC correspondent Tamron Hall about the nearly decade-long search for this property owner and the interesting unclaimed property turned over to the Commonwealth from abandoned safe deposit boxes.

"Dateline was instrumental in tracking down one of our largest leads, and I'm pleased that we participated in this program to highlight this potential source of extra cash and, more importantly, raise awareness to help viewers prevent their property from becoming unclaimed," Treasurer McCord said.

Each year, Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property from abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes and other sources. Treasury maintains custody of this unclaimed property while working hard to return it free of charge to its rightful owners.

"We are currently seeking the owners of over $1.5 billion in unclaimed property," Treasurer McCord said. "I encourage all Pennsylvanians to search the free unclaimed property database at www.patreasury.org -- they have about a one in ten chance of finding property in their name."

Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord is committed to managing the Commonwealth's assets for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. A respected business leader, McCord is focused on strengthening the state's economy, enhancing the financial security of Pennsylvanians, and increasing the efficiency and transparency of the Treasury. To learn more about Treasurer McCord's initiatives and programs, please visit the Pennsylvania Treasury Department at www.patreasury.org.

Source: Pennsylvania Treasury Department

CONTACT: Carrie Fischer Lepore of Pennsylvania Treasury Department,
+1-717-787-2991, news@patreasury.org

Web Site: http://www.patreasury.org/

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