The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), a “free national search site to reunite you with your unclaimed property maintained by the state officials who are safeguarding it” links to state, federal, private and Canadian agencies to which personal property and funds have been escheated.
Sites can be searched by name, and will variously provide you with the name of the originating institution, the refund amount, the account holder’s address and the amount owed.
The California State Controller maintains and sells a database of unclaimed property owners, and one listing the decedents and their heirs of estate accounts remitted to the state. Other state Controller Offices and county treasurers also compile this information.
The U.S. Tax Court, the judicial body that hears tax payment disputes, has an online docket inquiry, searchable by indvidual or corporate name or docket number. [Thanks to DetectiveForums.]
I recently received a case in which a 97 year old lady had died. Her daughter (my client)wanted to find out if her mother had any money in bank accounts. I found approximately $250K in various banks and then I found an additional $34K at the State Controller’s office (The Vault. I also found money that a relative of mine had, it was also at the State Controller’s office. Yes the information that you can get with the CD’s and the Microfische is amazing. I think that anyone that does assett and financial investigations and doesn’t have the necessary tools is doing their client’s an injustice.
Does anybody have the California Controller CD’s or Microfische? Opinions? Worth it? Please comment.