Automatic mailing of unclaimed property checks to begin in September 

 August 8, 2025 (Magnolia, Ark.) –  Auditor of State Dennis Milligan spoke to the Magnolia Rotary Club Thursday about his office’s new Data Match program that allows him to mail unclaimed property checks to people who are owed between $50 and $5,000. Act 114 of 2025 authorized Milligan to begin distributing checks to Arkansas residents so long as their data matches through multiple identity-verification processes. 

“We have nearly 360,000 properties worth over $83 million that are eligible for this Data Match program,” Milligan said. “I’m hopeful that this program will help us put money back into Arkansans’ pockets at a time when many people are struggling. This isn’t the state’s money; it’s the citizens’ money.” 

Unclaimed property can be any number of financial items, such as unreimbursed utility deposits, uncashed checks or forgotten bank accounts. It typically occurs when a person moves or passes away and the financial entity does not have a good forwarding address, Milligan said. It can also consist of life insurance proceeds, stock or mutual fund shares, or money left behind by someone who is deceased. Any person or business could have unclaimed property. 

“If your data matches what we have in our system, we’ll send you a letter notifying you that you will receive a check within 90 days,” Milligan said. The program only applies to individual, one-owner claims, he added. “Businesses, heirs and couples who are owed money still need to file a claim through our secure website at www.claimitar.gov.” 

People who are eligible for the Data Match program and are owed more than $1,000 will receive a claim form in the mail along with their letter and will be asked to return a completed claim form along with a copy of their driver’s license prior to receiving their check. However, “The vast majority of claims are valued at less than $1,000,” Milligan said. 

Milligan encouraged all Arkansans to check his website at www.claimitar.gov to see if they’re owed money. 

“I have over $400 million owed to current or former Arkansans that I’m trying to return,” he said, adding that one in four Arkansans are owed money. “Since I took office in January 2023, I’ve given back over $85 million.” 

Arkansans who have lived in other states can check the national database for unclaimed property at www.missingmoney.com. 

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