During National Fire Prevention Month, Treasurer McCord Urges Fire, EMS Companies to Claim $157,000 in Unclaimed Property

Organizations and individuals can visit patreasury.gov to search and claim for free

Harrisburg – October 25, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — National Fire Prevention Month is a chance for families to review their preparedness for a fire emergency, but as Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord noted today, it is also a chance to support emergency responder organizations by highlighting an often overlooked source of revenue – Pennsylvania’s unclaimed property program.

Treasury currently holds more than $157,000 in lost and forgotten money for fire companies and emergency responders across the state, the Treasurer announced, and it is money that belongs back in the budgets of these life-saving organizations.

“Returning unclaimed property is a year-round effort for the McCord Treasury, but we take this opportunity during National Fire Prevention Month to remind fire companies and emergency responder units that we may be holding property for them,” Treasurer McCord said. “It may not be a windfall, but every dollar counts in the fight to keep our communities safe.”

Each year, Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property – money from items such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, and contents of safe deposit boxes. The property owed to fire companies, ambulance services, and emergency medical organizations is only a fraction of the $2.2 billion in unclaimed property Treasury is working to return to people, businesses, nonprofits, local government, and community organizations, among other groups.

Treasurer McCord said people and organizations owed unclaimed property often do not realize the property has become dormant because holders are not required under state law to contact the owner before remitting it to Treasury.

“Checks often get mailed to old or incorrect addresses, funds never make it to the intended recipient for a variety of reasons, and sometimes the holder of the property may turn over the property to Treasury with misspelled or incomplete owner information,” the Treasurer said. “There are many reasons why people and organizations wind up with unclaimed property owed to them. That’s why we want everyone to search www.patreasury.gov.”

In addition to searching the free unclaimed property database at www.patreasury.gov, Treasury’s Return Team can be reached by phone at 1-800-222-2046, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is always free to search for and claim property through Treasury.

Since January 2009, the McCord Treasury has collected more than $1.1 billion in property, returned $482 million to rightful owners, and generated about $618 million for the state’s General Fund through the Unclaimed Property Program.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Unclaimed Property Program or to search for property, visit www.patreasury.gov or call 1-800-222-2046.

Media contact: Elizabeth Foose, 717-787-2991 or