Billions in unclaimed funds across New York: How much is in the Finger Lakes? Find out here

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says there’s billions in unclaimed funds.

Unclaimed funds are effectively lost or forgotten money. That money cannot be claimed by anyone except the rightful owner.

“So far this year, we have returned over $358 million in lost or forgotten money to New Yorkers,” DiNapoli said in a release. “Each month, my office hosts events to raise awareness about unclaimed funds. Everyone is invited to come out and search for funds that may be awaiting them. The process is simple. Search for yourself, or for family members, friends, neighbors, churches, synagogues, mosques, or any organization you care about and let them know that they may have money owed to them.”

The Comptroller’s Office has an online database where New Yorkers can check to see if they are owed money. The billions of dollars in unclaimed funds come from utility deposits, old bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance claims, stocks and other sources that have been dormant for years. The Comptroller’s Office is able to go back several decades to retrieve lost money from various accounts.

Here’s a look at how many accounts are considered ‘lost’ and how much they are collectively worth, per the Comptroller’s assessment:

Staff Report

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