Pennsylvania Treasury says it returned a record of more than $334 million in unclaimed property last year. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced the figure on October 14, in a release about a separate return of $122,127.19 to the Pennsylvania American Legion. Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks and similar holdings that were turned over to the state.
In the Treasury release, Garrity says she has returned more than $1.2 billion in unclaimed property since taking office in 2021, “including a record of over $334 million last year.” The release says more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians have unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth over $1,000.
Is any of that money waiting for a Pennsylvania household?
A record year for returns also means a large pool is still waiting. With more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians holding some unclaimed property, the odds are good that a neighbor, a relative or a late parent has a listing. The average claim of over $1,000 is a typical amount, not a ceiling.
For anyone in Pennsylvania, the practical step is a name search at searchandclaimpa.gov. Treasury says anyone can search its database at any time. People should search under every name they have used, including a maiden name, and under the names of family members who have died, since heirs can have claims to money that belongs to an estate.
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What the Legion got back
The Legion return included more than 250 individual properties valued at $122,127.19. A wire copy of the release names James “Woody” Hogan, the Pennsylvania American Legion’s Department Adjutant, and carries a Wormleysburg dateline. Treasury does not say when the money was handed over, only that it was returned recently.
The release also says Garrity has returned nearly 600 military decorations to veterans and their families. They include 13 Purple Hearts, four Bronze Stars and a Gold Star medal. Medals can end up in the state’s unclaimed property system just as dormant accounts do.
What the redesigned search site does
Treasury launched a new, improved search site on September 23, and the redesign changes how a claim is built. The launch release says it adds automatic matching, so when a person starts a claim the system adds other qualifying properties it finds for the same owner. It also says properties that meet Money Match criteria can be returned automatically.
Other changes include exact dollar amounts for properties under $500, with larger ones shown as “over $500,” and a button to email found properties to a friend or relative. The release says the system will also better flag potential fraud, which triggers a more in-depth review of a claim. That review can slow a claim down, so complete and accurate details help.
The October 28 auction and other recent returns
Not all unclaimed property is cash. Treasury’s auction announcement says about 6,000 items will be featured in an online sale on Wednesday, October 28, with bidders registering through Pook & Pook, Treasury’s auction partner. Items on the list are subject to change before the sale. Bidders register at pookandpook.com, and the sale is held online, so no trip to an auction house is needed. People who think an item in the sale once belonged to them should look at the proceeds rather than the item, since the money is what an owner can claim afterward.
The release also says proceeds from everything sold at auction are kept in perpetuity for the rightful owner to claim at any time. An owner whose safe deposit box contents are sold can still collect the money later. Garrity is quoted in the release saying the next auction “is a few weeks away.”
The Legion return was one of several recent announcements. Treasury’s newsroom lists a return of more than $61,000 with local legislators on October 14 and a return of nearly $77,000 with Rep. Andrea Verobish on October 13. A September 24 release reports $1.4 million reunited with Pennsylvanians on a statewide unclaimed property tour. The same index lists a June 3 release saying the spring auction generated more than $450,000, and a March 23 release on an auction of more than 4,000 items.
The newsroom index also lists smaller returns announced in late September.
- More than $43,000 returned with Rep. Mindy Fee on September 25.
- Nearly $55,000 returned with Rep. Alec Ryncavage on September 25.
- Nearly $50,000 returned with Rep. Craig Williams on September 24.
- More than $30,000 returned with Sen. David Argall and Rep. Jamie Barton on September 24.
These events repeat a pattern. Treasury finds owners for large blocks of money, then publicizes each return so more people search their own names. Treasury’s own numbers show both sides of it: a record year of returns, and more than one in 10 residents still holding property that has not been claimed.
Is some of Pennsylvania’s unclaimed property waiting for this household?
Pennsylvania’s database only covers property held by Pennsylvania. People who have lived, worked or banked in other states may have money sitting in those states’ systems too, and each state keeps its own list. A single search at searchandclaimpa.gov does not reach them.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a 5-tab Excel tracker pre-filled with all 51 state unclaimed-property offices, so each search and claim has a place to be logged. Part 4 of its 50 pages is the source vault of 12 official places money sits, from settlements and refunds to unclaimed property.
Get the 51-state unclaimed-property tracker and 12-place money map →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
