PA Treasury Working to Return More Than $93,000 in Unclaimed Property to African American Organizations, Institutions During Black History Month

Harrisburg – February 19, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — More than $93,000 in unclaimed property is up for claim by African American organizations and institutions, State Treasurer Rob McCord announced today, and this Black History Month the Pennsylvania Treasury wants to return it to the rightful owners. Groups can visit www.patreasury.gov to find out if any belongs to them.

“Black History Month is a time to celebrate and honor the contributions of African Americans to our society, so we wanted to highlight the $93,000 in unclaimed funds owed to African American educational, cultural and civic groups,” Treasurer McCord said. “Our Return Team is eager to reunite these funds with the rightful owners so they can be used to continue improving the lives of and providing opportunities for African Americans across the Commonwealth.”

Treasurer McCord asked his department to identify unclaimed property that belongs to historically African American institutions of higher education like Cheyney and Lincoln universities, fraternities, sororities, and organizations like the NAACP, African Chamber of Commerce, Union of Black Episcopalians, National Society of Black Engineers and the United Negro College Fund.

Treasurer McCord said the more than $93,000 his department holds for these organizations represents just a fraction of the $2.2 billion in unclaimed property Treasury currently seeks to reunite with businesses, organizations, and citizens. The Treasurer encouraged everyone to search Treasury’s free unclaimed property database at www.patreasury.gov or call 1-800-222-2046, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A member of Treasury’s Return Team will assist them with their search and the claim process.

Each year, Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property – things such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, and contents of safe deposit boxes. Since January 2009, the McCord Treasury has collected more than $1.1 billion in property, returned more than $526 million to rightful owners, and generated about $619 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