IN NEED OF A BAILOUT?
There could be cash in your name just waiting to be claimed
THERE’S more than $300 billion in lost money in the US, sitting in banks, insurance companies and forgotten accounts — in fact, one in 10 of us has unclaimed money waiting. Could it be you? New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office has over $16 billion of those unclaimed funds, and he urged New Yorkers to see if any of it belongs to them.
“I encourage everyone to come out and search for money that may be waiting for them,” DiNapoli said. “We return more than $1.5 million a day to residents across the state, but we want to do more. It’s your money, we want to give it back.”
Across the US, billions of dollars are locked up in forgotten bank accounts, pension schemes, utility credits and insurance plans, particularly here in New York. Most claims (70 percent) are under $100, but sometimes there are bigger chunks of change sitting around.
There are currently more than 40 million unclaimed funds accounts, some dating to the 1940s. State law requires that abandoned money or securities be transferred to the state Comptroller’s office if there is no activity in an account for a period — which is typically three years.
Every year, over 2 million people visit the Web site, Unclaimed.org, run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. There’s also MissingMoney.com, also sponsored by NAUPA, which includes info from most US states and will locate any matches, with information and links to the official government sites where you can make a claim. Anyone can search any name in the state databases for free to see if they are owed anything. It’s also free to claim such money, so beware of private companies trying to claim for you for a fee of up to 15 percent of your proceeds.
In order to make a claim, you need to provide your Taxpayer Identification Number and other personal information to claim the money, and your gains will be reported to the IRS and other taxing authorities by New York State. Also, be aware that because of COVID-19, the processing times may be longer than usual.
And if you can’t find your name or that of any of your friends and family, you can always help out your favorite celeb and connect them with their missing gains. Like “The Daily Show” host Trevor
Noah. The comedian has risen from humble beginnings in his native South Africa and now lives in multi-million dollar Manhattan lodgings. Allegedly, he’s also got a fancy collection of expensive Swiss watches. He may be able to add another Rolex to the mix if he checks out the money owed to a Trevor Noah of Mulberry Street by the Entertainment Writers.
Just an Englishman in New York? Sting
— a k a Gordon Sumner — was recently spotted topping up his tan in Tuscany where he and wife Trudie Styler have an estate, and where they religiously celebrate their August wedding anniversary every year. There could be an unexpected gift coming this year, since there’s a couple of accounts waiting for a Mr. Sumner from Walt Disney.
Has Kristen Stewart of “Twilight” vampire saga fame been burning the midnight oil and topping up on caffeine? There’s money waiting for someone of that name in Brooklyn, from Starbucks.
Robert De Niro’s been chatting to LAbased Ridley Scott about his new film “Gucci,” along with stars Al Pacino and Lady Gaga. We all know he’s got some acting chops, but perhaps the New Yorker also got some dental work done, since there’s an amount showing for Mr. De Niro on Greenwich Street from Delta Dental of California.
Beyoncé (full name Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter) has been busy with her “Black Is King” project for Disney+ so we’re guessing she may have overlooked some shopping credits from Neiman Marcus, since someone of that name from Hudson Street is owed some dosh from Bergdorf Goodman. She might want to cash it quick, before the receivers get to it.