Some fairgoers left Sedalia with more money

Monday, August 31, 2009, 6:05 PM

By Brent Martin

Missourinet

Some State Fairgoers left with more money than they took to Sedalia.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel has announced that his office returned nearly $46,761 of unclaimed property to 245 people attending the State Fair. More than the property returned, the increased visibility makes a difference says Zweifel.

"The number one thing we can do from a marketing perspective with this program right now is to build awareness about it. There are still so many Missourians who don't know about it," Zweifel says. "We know that if more Missourians know about it, they're going to be more likely to visit our Web site, put in their last name and they are going to be able to quickly find out if they have any unclaimed property."

The Unclaimed Property Division set up in the Mathewson Exhibition Center, offering fairgoers a chance to search its data base of abandoned assets from bank accounts, stocks, bonds, insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits, past wages and safe deposit box contents. Fairgoers were able to use the service for free to search for property, file claims, even ask questions.

Zweifel says his office has a responsibility to promote its unclaimed property Web site.

"The reason why they may not visit the site is because they don't even know about the program in the first place," Zweifel says. "The other reason why they may not do it is because they know about it, but they think the process is cumbersome. So, I think our job is to eliminate those barriers so that we can get that money back into Missourians hands."

In the past fiscal year, the Unclaimed Property Division a record 75,441 accounts totaling more than $26.6 million. To see if the Treasurer's office is holding any unclaimed property that is yours, go to the Show Me Money Web site.

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