During Oakbrook Terrace appearance, treasurer urges residents to claim cash

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State Treasurer Dan Rutherford talks about the Cash Dash program during a stop in Oakbrook Terrace.

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:20AM

Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford was in Oakbrook Terrace on Tuesday for a Cash Dash events to determine if the state is holding any money or unclaimed property entitled to residents.

Rutherford was at the Villa Park Rotary luncheon held Jan. 17 at Gulliver’s Restaurant.

“People are thrilled to find out they have money just waiting for them through Cash Dash,” said Rutherford. “I encourage area residents to come visit me at local Cash Dash events for assistance is locating their money or property – plus everyone should make an attempt to review our online database annually so they don’t miss out on money or valuable assets the state is holding for them.”

The treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division has $1.5 billion, plus contents from Illinois bank safety deposit boxes that have been abandoned for at least five years. The Cash Dash program helps reunite owners with their unclaimed property. On average, the Cash Dash program returns about $80 million annually to owners. It’s common for people to lose track of assets when they move or when loved ones pass away. Businesses and banks are required to turn over unclaimed accounts to the treasurer’s office.

Some examples of unclaimed property held by the treasurer’s office include:

Money in inactive savings and checking accounts.

Unpaid wages or commissions.

Stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Money orders and bill overpayments.

Paid-up life insurance policies.

Safety deposit box contents.

To find out if you have unclaimed property through Cash Dash, visit the treasurer’s website, www.treasurer.il.gov and follow the “Cash Dash” link.

The website is updated weekly to reflect new properties remitted to the office. Additionally, Cash Dash teams conduct outreaches across the state, place twice-annual inserts in newspapers and send direct mail to new single-owner claimants with property worth more than $100.

Contact the Unclaimed Property Division by calling (217) 785-6998 or emailing info@cashdash.net.