Money owed to city from state’s Unclaimed Property program
May 2, 2023 (Helena-West Helena, Ark.) – Auditor of State Dennis Milligan’s office, which administers the state’s unclaimed property program, the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt, visited Helena-West Helena last week and helped the city claim nearly $3,500 owed to the city, police, fire and street departments from the program.
“Unclaimed property can be any number of items, such as forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits, unreimbursed life insurance policies and more,” Milligan said. “Since I took office on Jan. 10th, we’ve returned more than $9 million to citizens through the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt.”
When owners abandon an account – through a move or a death, perhaps – and the company cannot locate the owner, the money or properties are submitted to the Auditor of State’s office. The Auditor’s office is required by law to return unclaimed property back to citizens.
“We will continue our proactive outreach to Arkansas cities and counties to help get these funds back into local communities where they belong,” Milligan said.
To see if you might have unclaimed property in Arkansas, visit https://claimitar.com/.
Pictured is Thomas Burchfield, Outreach Manager for Auditor of State Dennis Milligan’s office, with Helena-West Helena Mayor Christopher Franklin.
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Dennis Milligan was elected Auditor of State in 2023. The Auditor’s office is responsible for ensuring payroll for more than 600 state government elected officials, prosecuting attorneys and deputy prosecutors. The office also administers the state’s Unclaimed Property Program, The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt. Learn more at https://auditor.ar.gov/.