State Controller's Office (SCO)

There are several steps you can take to prevent your property from being turned over to the State:

• Cash your dividend, interest, or refund checks promptly.
• Keep accurate records of all financial accounts and review them at least once a year.
• Maintain annual activity on accounts.
• Provide your financial institutions with a primary contact, secondary contact, or beneficiary contact name.
• Remain aware of your accounts.
• Respond promptly to notifications from the business or the State Controller's Office that your property may be transferred to the state if you do not contact the business within the stated time period.

California's Unclaimed Property Law requires corporations, businesses, associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies (referred to as "Holders") to annually report and deliver property to the State Controller's Office after there has been no activity on the account or contact with the owner for a period of time specified in the law - generally three (3) years. Often, contact is lost when the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address, or the forwarding order expires. In some cases, the owner dies and the heirs have no knowledge of the property.

Unclaimed Property is generally defined as any financial asset that has been left inactive by the owner for a period of time specified in the law, generally three (3) years. The California Unclaimed Property Law does NOT include real estate. Unused gift certificates are also generally excluded from unclaimed property and are not sent to the State as unclaimed property. The most common types of Unclaimed Property are:

• Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
• Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
• Uncashed cashier's checks and money orders
• Certificates of deposit
• Matured or terminated insurance policies
• Estates
• Mineral interests and royalty payments
• Trust funds and escrow accounts

Visit the Full FAQ

California’s Unclaimed Property Law requires corporations, businesses, associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies (referred to as “Holders”) to annually report and deliver property to the State Controller’s Office after there has been no activity on the account or contact with the owner for a period of time specified in the law—generally three (3) years. Often, contact is lost when the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address, or the forwarding order expires. In some cases, the owner dies and the heirs have no knowledge of the property.

Unclaimed Property is generally defined as any financial asset that has been left inactive by the owner for a period of time specified in the law, generally three (3)  years. The California Unclaimed Property Law does NOT include real estate. Unused gift certificates are also generally excluded from unclaimed property and are not sent to the State as unclaimed property. The most common types of Unclaimed Property are:

• Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
• Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
• Uncashed cashier’s checks and money orders
• Certificates of deposit
• Matured or terminated insurance policies
• Estates
• Mineral interests and royalty payments
• Trust funds and escrow accounts

The Unclaimed Property Law was passed to protect consumers. It prevents businesses with unclaimed property from keeping your money and using it as business income. The law provides California citizens a single source, the State Controller’s Office, to check for unclaimed property that may be reported by businesses from around the nation and enables the State to return property, or the net proceeds from any legally required sale of the property, to its rightful owner or their heirs.