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Unclaimed Money Lookup - Oklahoma
Free Oklahoma Unclaimed Money Lookup
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Oklahoma Unclaimed Money -
The Ultimate Guide 2024
- UPDATED May 2024
See how you can claim money in the Sooner State through our ultimate guide to unclaimed money and property in Oklahoma.
Contents
- Your Guide to Unclaimed Property in Oklahoma
- What is Unclaimed Money?
- How Much Unclaimed Money is in Oklahoma?
- How to Find Unclaimed Property in Oklahoma
- Steps to Claiming Property in Oklahoma
- Choosing a Claimant Relationship
- Checking a Claim in Oklahoma
- Is the Oklahoma Database the Only Place to Look for Unclaimed Property?
- Unclaimed Property Laws in Oklahoma
Your Guide to Unclaimed Property in Oklahoma
More than one million people living in the Sooner State have money waiting for them that they do not know about. This includes those who don’t know about the state treasurer database and those who heard about it but never checked the system. The Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Office took over the operations of the Unclaimed Property Program in 2000 because the office thought it could reach more people than the program itself could.
Far too many people avoid the Oklahoma database because they think that the state would contact them if the treasurer had any money for them. The Oklahoma treasurer only has a limited amount of time and resources, which is why most types of property appear online in the database. As long as you know the name that you want to search under, you should use this system. In our ultimate guide to unclaimed money in Oklahoma, we’ll make sure that you know how to use the state’s database.
What is Unclaimed Money?
The Oklahoma Treasurer uses the terms unclaimed money and unclaimed property to describe any asset no longer held by an owner. When an organization known as a holder loses contact with the owner and cannot find them, they will contact the treasurer about the abandoned property. A common example is a money order that you sent to someone that the post office didn’t deliver. You may find that the state allows you to claim the money order in the name of the person who bought it because it cannot find the person named as the recipient.
Oklahoma unclaimed property can include different types of royalty payments such as those created between a landowner and natural energy provider. The provider agrees to pay the owner of the land for the natural resources found there. Though some receive a check at the end of the years, others receive checks at different times. As long as the land remains in your family, you have the right to the royalty checks. The Oklahoma system offers help for those who want to claim lost or missing royalty checks and those claiming the payments as part of a deceased’s estate.
The database in Oklahoma lists all types of insurance payments, too. Did you ever sign up for a group policy with other people from work? You may qualify for benefit checks for money that you didn’t use or refunds when your group paid too much. If you know anyone who passed away, you should check the system for life insurance policies that they had.
Many people only learned that they were named beneficiary years after a loved one passed away because they didn’t know the policy existed.
Many companies use the system to find people who owned homes in the Sooner State. When you buy a home, you need an escrow account. Your lender or loan servicer will use that account to pay your property taxes and other expenses. If you paid off your home and had money left in escrow, the company needs to return it to you. You may also have leftover escrow funds from when you sold your home. Don’t forget that the system has checks from the utility providers that you worked with in the past, too. They often issue refunds that customers don’t get because they changed their address.
You’ll also find other types of business payments listed in the system such as rebates and refunds. Some shoppers buy products from local stores and fill out rebate forms. When they don’t get a rebate check, they assume it was a scam. A mistake as simple as using the wrong zip code or smearing your name on the form can result in your check never arriving. Oklahoma allows stores across the state to send information about unclaimed refunds and rebates. Credit balances, uncashed paychecks and checking accounts are other examples of the unclaimed property found in the Sooner State.
How Much Unclaimed Money is in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma holds roughly $700 million in property that belongs to others that went unclaimed over the years. More than 800,000 people have property listed in the database that they can claim today. Though you might think that this sounds like a lot of money, keep in mind that it’s a small percentage of the total amount of unclaimed property across the country, which amounts to more than $40 billion.
How to Find Unclaimed Property in Oklahoma
The Official Oklahoma Website maintains both the State Treasurer’s Website that gives you more information about finding unclaimed property and the search site for finding your property.
Step 1: Visit the Oklahoma Unclaimed Property Search. Our link takes you directly to the search box.
Step 2: Use the search box to find any type of Oklahoma unclaimed property. You need to enter a last name to find any property owned by someone with that name. If the system finds too many results that match the criteria, it will ask you to go back to the previous page. This will require that you add either a first name or initial to your search.
Step 3: See which of the property listings belong to you. Oklahoma will list all the names associated with the property owner(s) and the last known address of the individual. You will also see whether the unclaimed property is worth more or less than $100 and if it’s a business asset.
Step 4: Click on the name of the property owner, which you’ll see in the column on the left side. This will let you start the claim process in Oklahoma.
Steps to Claiming Property in Oklahoma
The steps that we outlined above will help you find all of your unclaimed property in Oklahoma. You can use the next steps to file your claim.
Step 1: Confirm that the name and address shown on the Oklahoma property matches both your name and your current or former address. You will then need to click the “Initiate Claim” to file.
Step 2: Fill out the contact information form to provide Oklahoma with the information that it needs. The state asks for your daytime phone number and email address as well as your full name and home address. You need to include your social security number and let the state know if the property belongs to someone who is deceased.
Step 3: Wait for the Oklahoma Treasurer to send an email form that confirms you can file a claim. You need to print this form and sign and date the bottom before sending it to the listed address.
Choosing a Claimant Relationship
When you fill out the contact information form, Oklahoma will ask about the relationship that you have/had with the owner. You simply need to select the “Self” option to file for property that you own. If the owner is deceased, you can file as their spouse, son, daughter or grandchild from the options listed. Oklahoma has a corporate officer option for those filing for an asset owned by a business and a power of attorney option as well as a trust option if you are the trustee. You may find that your situation doesn’t match any of the listed options, which will require that you select “Other” when filing.
Checking a Claim in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Treasurer added a status checker that lets you check on your claim without calling and waiting on hold for a representative. You need to enter the last name and social security number of the claimant and click the “I’m Not a Robot” button. The system will then show you one of several options that include:
- Waiting for Check: The state agrees that you’re the property owner and will send your check soon.
- Initiated: Oklahoma received your claim and still needs to process it.
- Evidence Letter Sent: The Unclaimed Property Division will send a letter that explains the added evidence that you need to submit to claim the property.
- Dropped: You filed a claim but did not complete it within the last 60 days, which means that the state dropped your claim and returned it to the database.
- Denied: The Oklahoma Treasurer denied your claim and will send you a letter to explain why.
- Approval in Process: Though the Unclaimed Property Division believes you own the property, it hasn’t yet approved it and may require more information.
- Paid: Oklahoma sent a check to your listed address to pay for your property.
Is the Oklahoma Database the Only Place to Look for Unclaimed Property?
While the Oklahoma Unclaimed Property Website is a good place to look for abandoned money in the Sooner State, you may want to expand your search to include all the other states where you lived. You can use our guides to those states or check for the Unclaimed Property Division in each one. Missing Money is another site that helps you find money from states across the country and some international regions. Several states will direct you to this site when you want to search for unclaimed money in them.
Have you ever filed taxes right before moving and forgot to update your address? You might assume that you can file for your missing refund check the next year, but you usually need to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for help. The IRS allows you to both update your mailing address and set up direct deposit to ensure that you never miss another check. You can track payments that are coming to you, too.
Several resources are available for those who need help finding money held by financial institutions that closed. You may want to check with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to see if they have money held in an account listed in your name with a closed bank. The National Credit Union Administration can help you locate credit union accounts if you had money in an account and the credit union closed.
Some of the other sites that we find helpful when looking for unclaimed property online include:
- Department of Veterans Affairs: Ask the VA for help tracking down a life insurance policy held by someone who served in a military branch. You don’t need to know the name of the beneficiary to find policies that belonged to your loved ones.
- U.S. Federal Investments: If you have a treasury bond but no longer have the physical bond, you can get help through this site. It offers tips on finding and claiming those bonds.
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): HUD can help you claim a refund check if this government department issued one that you never got. You should always contact HUD directly to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of a refund scam.
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: Make sure that your family gets all the benefits due to them when a loved one passes away, which may include a pension. This site lets you search for pensions owned by anyone in the country.
- U.S. Railroad Retirement Board: The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board can help you find a pension or retirement account owned by a railroad worker. It also helps you claim the account as the deceased’s beneficiary or heir.
Unclaimed Property Laws in Oklahoma
If you have a PDF viewer on your computer, check out Title 735 and Chapter 80 of the Oklahoma Code, which covers what the Treasurer and Unclaimed Property Division do. This helps you see the rules that all holders must follow, including mineral companies and utility providers. You can also see any laws that relate to specific types of property such as royalty deals and bank accounts.
Oklahoma Unclaimed Money FAQs
How Long Does it Take for Oklahoma Property to Become Abandoned?
Most of the property in Oklahoma only becomes abandoned if the holder and owner have no recorded contact for five years. Recorded contact can include talking to the owner over the phone or getting an email from the owner’s email address. Holders only need to contact the treasurer if the property has an overall value of $50 or more. The holder can sell or dispose of property worth a smaller amount. Oklahoma asks that the holder attempt to contact the owner one last time within 120 days of filing about the abandoned property.
What Happens to Unclaimed Safe Deposit Boxes in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma doesn’t hold regular auctions to see unclaimed safe deposit boxes but occasionally does. The Sooner State allows the holders of those boxes to create an inventory of everything found inside. Holders can either hold onto the contents or send them to the Unclaimed Property Division, which will place them in their vault. When the state runs out of room in the vault, it will hold an auction to sell the contents of turned-over boxes. The money raised from the auction then goes into a trust that the owner or a legal owner can claim. If you see any property that belongs to you or your family, Oklahoma lets you claim it before the auction.
How Can You Prove That You're the Property Owner?
To prove that you’re the legal owner of a property, Oklahoma usually requires both proof of your social security number and identity such as your social security card and photo ID. When filing for a property that belonged to a deceased loved one, Oklahoma asks for proof of your relationship, including your birth certificate or court documents. You may need to show that you lived at a specific address, too. Oklahoma accepts old utility bills and other types of official mail that show your name and that address.
Can You Request a Direct Deposit?
No. The Oklahoma Treasurer and the Unclaimed Property Division will only send checks to property owners. You should check your mailbox for official letters that have the treasurer’s name on the outside and your check inside. If you claim the contents of a safe deposit box before an upcoming auction, the state will place the contents in a package and send it via certified mail. In cases of stocks and bonds, you will need to contact the treasurer and request a transfer to the stocks into your name. You will get the certificates in the mail. The state may liquidate the stocks before you file a claim and send you a check for their value.
How Long Does Oklahoma Take to Return Unclaimed Property?
When you find unclaimed property in Oklahoma, you can use the status checker once you submit your claim. It often takes several days for the status checker to update and show that the treasurer received your claim. You might notice that it takes a few weeks for your claim to reach the process stage, which is when the state verifies your claim and determines that you own the property. The Sooner State can take up to eight weeks and even 12 weeks to process your claim and release a check. During certain times of the year, the process can take several months.
What Do You Need to Do File an Heir Claim?
Oklahoma often allows heirs to file claims for unclaimed property but will only work with the deceased’s legal heirs. This usually refers to their spouse or children. In cases where the deceased did not have a spouse or any children, their property goes to their siblings or parents. Grandchildren also have the right to file claims. You need to show that you are the living heir of the deceased with a birth certificate that lists them as one of your parents or court documents that show they adopted you. Oklahoma requires some information about the person who passed away too, including their social security number and date of birth. You often need a copy of the death certificate too that lists you as either their next of kin or heir.
Should You Work with an Oklahoma Money Locator?
The term money locator refers to someone who charges a fee to find the money for others. They often find death notices in the paper and send letters to any listed heirs. Money locators often do the research for you and then claim that they will only give you the information that they found if you pay them. Oklahoma limits the fees that locators can charge to no more than 25% of the total value of the property, which can be quite a bit. You only need to work with a money locator if you can’t search the database yourself.
Is There Any Way to Prevent Abandonment?
Oklahoma property only becomes abandoned when the owner forgets about it and makes no attempt to claim it. Many holders will keep the property for five years or longer before notifying the treasurer. Even if you haven’t talked to the holder in years, you can get in touch with them and see if they still have your property. You can also take a few minutes to update your name and any of your contact information if it changes. We recommend that you reach out to the holders of all of your property at least once a year, too.
Conclusion
The Sooner State wants to make sure that people get their property back, which is why it created a database for people to search. Not only can you find property that you know you lost, but you may find accounts that you didn’t know you could claim such as those that a parent owned. Use our ultimate guide to unclaimed money in Oklahoma to find everything that the state has for you.
Quickly Search For Unclaimed Money
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