State treasuries and other agencies are holding nearly $33 billion in unclaimed assets. Some of it could be yours. Unclaimed assets -- accounts that have been inactive for at least a year -- can include checking and savings, payroll checks, utility deposits and tax refunds. They may also include stock certificates, certificates of deposit, insurance benefits, pension payments and safe-deposit-box contents.
This slide show will point you toward resources that will help you track down your missing assets. The navigation begins to the right.

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8 Places to Find Free Money

Where to go: www.unclaimed.org
According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), some $32.9 billion in unclaimed assets is sitting in state treasuries and other agencies just waiting to be claimed, and the figure is rising every year.
For a self-guided search through appropriate state treasuries, NAUPA’s set of links to each treasury's webpage is a handy resource to bookmark.

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Finding State Treasuries Online

Where to go: www.missingmoney.com
Whether you’re just curious or you suspect that you or someone in your family has missing assets, there’s a wealth of sites to launch your own treasure hunt. The best place to start is Missingmoney, a NAUPA-endorsed Web site that hosts searchable databases for nearly every state.

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Searchable State Databases

Where to go: www.irs.gov
The Internal Revenue Service is a treasure trove of lost loot. At the end of 2009, the IRS had more than $120 million in unclaimed refund checks -- mainly those returned after they were sent to a wrong address. The average undeliverable check was $1,148, and some taxpayers were due multiple refund checks.

If you didn’t get yours, go to the IRS's Where’s My Refund? page. You’ll need to enter your Social Security number, your filing status and the amount you were supposed to receive (as shown on your tax return).

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Unclaimed Refund Checks

Where to go: www.demutualization-claims.com
Another resource to find a lost stash is the insurance industry. Over the past decade, some major insurers have converted from mutual life insurance companies, owned by their policyholders, into publicly traded firms, owned by shareholders. In this process of demutualization the firms give their policyholders shares of stock or cash.
However, many of them couldn’t find policyowners. If you suspect that you or family members might be affected, go to the Demutualization Claims Clearinghouse.

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Demutualization Payouts

Where to go: www.oldcompany.com
Another common missing asset, old stock certificates, may be harder to track down. If you have the CUSIP number -- an identification number used for stocks and bonds -- call your broker and find out the value of the security. If you don’t have the CUSIP number but know the name of the company, try the investor-relations department of the firm and ask the registrar to help you.
If that doesn't work, you could hire stock-certificate specialist OldCompany.com, which charges $39.95 per report.

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Old Stock Certificates

Where to go: www.pbgc.gov
Were you a participant in a pension plan offered by a company that went out of business or closed its plan? Millions of dollars of pension benefits go unclaimed because those owed the money can't be found.
When your former employer can't find you, your pension money goes to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., a government agency that protects retirement income. Check PBGC's Pension Search Directory to see if you're on its list of people owed benefits.

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Lost Pension Checks

Where to go: www2.fdic.gov
If your bank or financial institution closed and you didn't claim the funds in your account, you still might be able to get your money. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has a list of unclaimed insured deposits at firms that were shut between 1989 and 1993. Post 1993 bank assets go directly to state treasuries.

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Unclaimed Bank Accounts

Where to go: www.treasurydirect.gov
Savings bonds are more often forgotten than lost -- billions of dollars of matured savings bonds have never been cashed.
The Treasury Hunt tool can help you find a misplaced series E savings bond from 1974 or later, as well as Treasury notes and bonds.

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Forgotten Savings Bonds