Find unclaimed money with your name on it.

US state registries hold more than $70 billion in unclaimed property — about one in seven Americans has some. Canada's unclaimed balances sit with the Bank of Canada and provincial registries. This free guide shows you where and how to search them yourself.

What counts as unclaimed money?

Forgotten bank balances, uncashed paycheques and government cheques, old security deposits, utility refunds, insurance payouts that never found you, contents of closed accounts. When a company cannot reach you, the money eventually moves to the state or federal registry — and waits.

Why you should never pay to search

The registries are public and searching them is free, always. Most US states regulate or cap finder's fees for unclaimed property, and claiming your own money through the official registry costs nothing. Anyone charging you just to search — or asking for an upfront fee to "release" money — is taking a cut of something you could do yourself in minutes.

How to search well

• Search name variations: maiden names, middle initials, common misspellings.
• Check every state you have ever lived in, not just your current one — plus the official registry links for all 50 states and Canada.
• Use old addresses when the form allows; property is filed where the company last knew you.
• Accept a clean zero. If the registry shows nothing, there is nothing — no service can find money that is not there.

Common questions