Money found in state’s Unclaimed Property program
Oct. 27, 2023 (Batesville, Ark.) – Auditor of State Dennis Milligan’s office, which administers the state’s unclaimed property program, the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt, located $5,003.59 for two Batesville businesses recently.
“We located $1,749.40 for Ford’s Guns and More and $3,254.19 for First Community Bank,” Milligan said. “My office worked with these businesses and was able to get this money back into the owners’ hands where it rightfully belongs.”
Unclaimed property can be any number of financial items, such as insurance premium overpayments, unreimbursed utility deposits, uncashed checks, contents of safety deposit boxes, etc. Anyone could have unclaimed property, including individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations or heirs of a deceased family member.
When owners abandon an account – through a move or a death, for instance – and the holder of the property cannot locate the owner, the money or properties are submitted to the Auditor of State’s office. The Auditor’s office is required to return unclaimed property back to citizens.
“Since I took office on Jan. 10th, we’ve returned more than $22 million to citizens through the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt,” Milligan said. “We will continue to be proactive in our outreach in order to get this money back into the hands of the people where it belongs.”
To see if you or your organization has unclaimed property in Arkansas, visit https://claimitar.com/.
Outreach Manager Thomas Burchfield (right) presents a check for unclaimed property to Kristen Tuggle with First Community Bank of Batesville.
Matt and Kelly Ford pose with an unclaimed property check for their business, Ford Guns and More of Batesville.
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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 700 state government elected officials, Supreme Court justices, 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/.