During National Unclaimed Property Day, State Treasurer Riley Moore visited Bridgeport on Thursday, Feb. 1, to present an unclaimed property check worth nearly $30,000 to benefit WVU Medicine United Hospital Center.

 

“United Hospital Center is one of the leading providers of high quality and innovative patient care in the North Central West Virginia region, and I’m proud my Office was able to return this large sum of money back to the hospital,” Treasurer Moore said. “While we have been partnering with hospitals across the state, I want to encourage individuals and organizations to keep checking our unclaimed property database because you never know if there may be unclaimed funds in your name.”

 

Treasurer Moore presented an unclaimed property check worth $28,372.95 to United Hospital Center President & CEO Dr. David F. Hess and Vice President of Finance/CFO Jim Rutkowskiat the hospital Thursday afternoon. The majority of the funds were from insurance policy benefits that were turned over to the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division.

 

“We’re grateful to the State Treasurer’s Office for reaching out to our hospital to return these funds,” Dr. Hess said. “Anytime we receive a sizeable amount of money for our hospital, we use it to fulfill needs within our community. Our hospital serves a lot of patients, and some of them don’t have insurance. We provide indigent care for those patients that don’t have a lot of resources.”

 

Observed on February 1, state officials across the nation celebrate National Unclaimed Property Day by raising awareness and educating the public about unclaimed property programs by encouraging people to search for their lost funds. According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, over $5.4 billion worth of unclaimed property has been returned to its rightful owners through unclaimed property programs during the previous fiscal year.

 

“Through our efforts to modernize the state’s unclaimed property program, we have reunited citizens and West Virginia businesses with their money at the fastest pace in state history,” Treasurer Moore said.  “Last fiscal year, my Office shattered a state record by returning $26.8 millionworth of unclaimed property to its rightful owners.”

 

The State Treasurer’s Office has more than $400 million worth of unclaimed property listings in its database. Currently, Harrison County has more than 142,000 unclaimed property listings worth more than $20 million for individuals, businesses and organizations.

 

Treasurer Moore encourages everyone to visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to find out if the Office is holding any money for you or your family.