RALEIGH— The Unclaimed Property Division (UPD) of the Department of State Treasurer (DST) announced this week that it had paid a record 178,857 claims totaling more than $105 million during the 2022 fiscal year.
According to a press release from DST, in 2021, the division paid out 125,134 claims valued at $70,447,815. Compared with 2022’s claims and payouts, it’s a 43% increase in the number of claims paid and a 50% increase in the dollar amount.
“It’s amazing to see what NCCash has accomplished over the past year,” N.C. State Treasurer Folwell said in the release. “Not only did they process a record number of claims, but they did it while moving locations and with a new head of the division – Allen Martin. It is a testament to his leadership and of the previous director Brenda Williams and, of course, the hardworking employees in the Unclaimed Property Division.”
The figures released by DST include claims paid by UPD’s NCCash Match program, which paid out 102,157 claims totaling more than $35.3 million during fiscal year 2022, according to the release.
The NCCCash Match program started in October 2020 to research records and identify qualifying claims of $250 or less. Additional legislation was passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Roy Cooper which allowed UPD to expand identification and pay claims up to $5,000.
“We’re in the check delivery business, so the more money we can get into the hands of North Carolinians the better,” said Folwell. “Now, we look forward to beating this year’s numbers in fiscal year 2023.”
Folwell also said “There are millions of items in DST’s custody that don’t qualify for NCCash Match,” and that he encourages citizen to go to the NCCash.com website and do a search for their name, their spouse’s maiden name, friends’ and relatives’ names, business, church and nonprofit to see if funds are waiting to be collected. There is no fee to search the database.
More information, including how to find out if you are owed money, can be found at https://www.nccash.com.
