Most of us could use some extra cash and a lot of cash is going unclaimed right now in Indiana.
INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Most of us could use some extra cash and a lot of cash is going unclaimed right now in Indiana.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property is just sitting there, waiting to be returned to its rightful owner.
We're talking about forgotten checks or bonds, insurance payouts, maybe valuables left in a bank in a safe deposit box.
The Indiana Attorney General's Office says you can check if you have unclaimed property and start the process of getting it back with just the click of a button.
Lindsey Mayes, Director of the Unclaimed Property Division, showed Eyewitness News a few of the tangible items being protected by the state until someone claims them.
Hidden in the box are forgotten treasures, she showed us a secret stash of jewelry, coins and autographed collectibles - all unclaimed property left behind by Hoosiers and sometimes worth a lot of money.
"It's kind of like opening up somebody's history," Mayes said. "You can just imagine kind of their life story."
Each week, the unclaimed property division returns about a million dollars in unclaimed property to their owners.
Last year, one case especially stood out: a boxful of gold and silver bars, along with a three-carat diamond ring.
"The whole value of the property was about $160,000 in tangible goods and so we were able to find that gentleman in about 24 hours and he got here and got his property back," Mayes said.
Right now, the state has $460 million in unclaimed property. Nearly 7 million people have cash or items out there.
"It's a lot of people. It is a lot of people," Mayes said.
That includes some famous faces, local celebrities who have unclaimed property on the state's list.
"Pat McAfee, Reggie Miller, we know Peyton Manning has some property out there," Mayes said. "Larry Bird has some money out there."
Tangible items are kept for six months, then auctioned off.
The proceeds from the auction, along with people's uncashed checks, rebates, bonds or insurance payouts are kept for 25 years, until they're claimed by the rightful owner or the owner's heirs.
The Indiana Attorney General's office is putting out the word for Hoosiers to go online and see if their name or maybe a grandparents' name pulls up property they've forgotten about.
That includes sentimental items, whose value exceeds a simple dollar amount.
"So this individual was obviously in the Marine Corps and he's actually received two purple hearts," Mayes said, pulling out a military banner and medals.
War medals are never auctioned off, she says.
They're kept until the owner or heirs come forward.
The process of checking the database is simple and the payout could be big.
You just have to enter your name, a maiden name, a family member's name and if unclaimed property pops up, fill out a claim. Any questions about proving ownership or the process, can be answered by the Attorney General's Office.
They process checks weekly and say it takes 60 to 90 days to get your check, once claimed.
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Mayes says her office has quite a job that's rewarding not only for the person getting their property back, but also for the people making it happen.
"Our claim reps are returning these monies can tell you stories ab out people crying on the phone who are getting $25. So every property that we get to return to somebody we just really know that whether it's large or small, it's having some type of impact," Mayes said. "Maybe it's paying off somebody's house or just putting groceries on the table. It's something that across the board we say it's so rewarding to get what is rightfully Indiana residents' property back to them."
An important reminder: never pay someone else to get your own stuff back.
There are companies that notify people of unclaimed property, which then take a percentage of that cash as a finder's fee.
But you don't have to go through them.
You can get your unclaimed property for free right from the state.
Here's how to search your name and begin the process.
