CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – State Treasurer Larry Pack announced checks totaling nearly $2.5 million have been sent to more than 2,000 recipients as part of the fifth year of the “West Virginia Cash Now” unclaimed property program, which automatically reunites certain individuals with their lost or unclaimed funds.
“Unclaimed property belongs back in the hands of West Virginians, and our Cash Now program allows us to return that money quickly and efficiently,” Treasurer Pack said. “This year alone, more than 2,000 people will receive nearly $2.5 million without having to go through the traditional claims process. That’s money going directly back to families, individuals, and businesses across our state. We’re proud to make the process as simple as possible.”
A total of 2,081 individuals will receive checks as part of this year’s distribution, representing a total of $2,448,080.27 returned to rightful owners.
West Virginia Cash Now launched in 2022 as a new, automated system for sending unclaimed property to its rightful owners – without the need for those individuals to file paperwork with the State Treasurer’s Office. The program allows the Unclaimed Property Division to quickly issue checks to residents who have addresses and contact information that are readily verifiable in legal databases.
Since the program began, there have been 18,264 checks issued for $16,253,752.80.
The State Treasurer’s Office currently has about $527 million worth of listings in its database.
The West Virginia Cash Now program applies to one of the most common types of claims: Individual property owners with claim amounts ranging from $500 to less than $5,000 will be receiving checks this year through the program. Businesses, government entities, estate claims and securities are not covered by the program because additional documentation is required to verify the owner. Individuals with claims of $5,000 or more will also still have to file paperwork with the Office to receive their claim.
To learn more about the unclaimed property program and to search its database, visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov.
