Oklahoma Has $1 Billion In Money And Property Waiting To Be Claimed

The State Treasurer said there are $1 billion in money and property just waiting for Oklahomans to claim.

From life insurance policies to money and family heirlooms, it takes just a few seconds to check if any of it may belong to you.

State Treasurer Todd Russ said Tulsa County alone has $141 million in unclaimed property.

He said the state’s database has about 1 million names listed, and yours could be one of them.

News On 6 talked to some Tulsans who found out they have unclaimed property.

From bags of money to gold bars, jewelry, collectible cards, and even a nickel from 1898, Russ showed News On 6 some of the unclaimed property he says his office is holding.

“We disperse between 35 and 50 million dollars a year in claims,” said Russ. “I mean, we're trying hard.”

At a meeting on Aug. 26, Russ encouraged members of the Kiwanis Club of Tulsa to check for themselves and family and friends.

During the Kiwanis Club meeting, Marquess Dennis went to yourmoney.ok.gov and learned he has more than $100 waiting for him.

“It's like a treasure hunt without having to be all in the heat and the sweat and the desert,” said Dennis. “It's like, 'I have found it.'”

State Rep. Amanda Swope said she also found out during the meeting that her late grandmother has two records of unclaimed property.

“Probably in large part, I think most of our family just doesn't know that it's out there or even exists,” said Swope.

Russ said some of the unclaimed property is kept in hundreds of safe deposit boxes in the state's vault, while others are estates.

“We dispersed a claim last year, the highest claim in the history of the state of Oklahoma, over $3 million to a family,” said Russ.

Russ said it can take a few days or years to get the money back to the owner or their heir, but it is worth the work.

“There's people out there that are filing fraudulent claims on these estates when they find them on a regular basis, and we have to knocked those down and sort out the right heirs,” said Russ.

You can check for any name at yourmoney.ok.gov. There is no time limit to claim your property.