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Today is National Unclaimed Property Day. Are you owed money?

Feb 1, 2023 | 10:16 AM

Eric Hunsaker / CC

February 1, 2023 – Today is National Unclaimed Property Day and the state says the perfect way to celebrate is to find out if you have cash owed to you on the state’s ICash website.

The ICash website is a searchable database where people can check for unclaimed property. Two recent ICash website improvements are making it simpler than ever.

Through the Friends and Family “share” feature on ICash, anyone can help the treasurer’s office connect with individuals whose names appear in the unclaimed property database. Whenever visitors to the ICash website come across the name of someone they know, they can select the “share” icon and provide the email address of their friend or relative. Frerichs’ office then will notify the individual by sending an email that mentions the unclaimed property, along with the name of the friend or relative who spotted it. Then, that individual can start the process of retrieving the property.

“The share function on ICashserves as an additional tool to help our office return unclaimed property,” Frerichs said. “Many people have no idea that they have unclaimed property waiting for them, so we are glad that friends and relatives now can lend a hand in telling them.”

“Abe,” the automated chatbot, is available to anyone visiting the ICash website during and outside of normal business hours. Capable of responding in English or Spanish, Abe provides an interactive way for people to obtain information when they ask short, simple questions about unclaimed property.

“Many people work, go to school, or fulfill other responsibilities during typical business hours. As a result, those hours are not a convenient time for them to visit the ICash website or ask questions about unclaimed property,” Frerichs said. “Now, thanks to Abe the chatbot, anyone who visits ICash during off-hours can ask basic questions and get helpful responses.”

In Illinois, the state treasurer is tasked with safeguarding unclaimed property, such as the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, and unused rebate cards. Illinois holds more than $3.5 billion in unclaimed property. Since 2015, the office has returned more than $ 1.6 billion in unclaimed property, a record-setting amount since the program was established in 1961.

An estimated one-in-four adults in Illinois who search ICash find unclaimed property, and the average claim is $1,000.