Wanted: Owners of $154M in Unclaimed Alberta Money, Property

Unclaimed money and property registries can help people locate money they are entitled to. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Alberta is looking for the owners of $154 million in unclaimed money and property.

The government says the unclaimed property registry holds money that is lost, abandoned, or forgotten.

It currently has millions in cash, cheques, money orders, and other unclaimed items.

“Who doesn’t like free money,” Minister of Finance Nate Horner said in a July 18 government press release.

“Alberta’s unclaimed property registry is free and easy to check, and a quick search of the registry could help reunite someone with money that they may not even know they were entitled to.”

In 2023, the registry was able to reunite 650 people with $1.4 million, the government said.

However, 350,000 unclaimed individual items are still being held by the province.

One item is valued at more than $850,000. The government says if that money is claimed, it will be the largest single balance the province has ever paid out.

The largest single payout the province has made was $368,124 in 2019.

Alberta’s unclaimed property register was created in 2008. It has returned $13.8 million to more than 8,500 people, the release said, including unclaimed deposits, uncashed wages, loan overpayments, and unclaimed money from inactive investment accounts.

Owners of the unclaimed money and property have 10 years to reclaim it, according to the Unclaimed Personal Property and Vested Property Act of Alberta.

If it goes unclaimed after that time, the money will be transferred to the government general’s revenue fund, supporting programs and services for Albertans.

To claim money, individuals can search the registry on the MissingMoney website, the release said.

How to Find Unclaimed Money

To find any unclaimed amounts or property in your name across North America, individuals can search the database at MissingMoney.com.

Here’s how:

1. Visit the MissingMoney.com website
2. Enter your last name or business name in the search box.
3. Enter your first name to refine the search.
4. Hit the search button.
5. Individuals can further refine a search by entering a city, state, or province.
6. Once people find their name, they can see what company or organization is holding the money.
7. Hit the claim button to start the process of being reunited with your money.
8. Wait for your claim to be verified. Once verified, you’ll be able to get paid.

It’s important to note that you’ll be asked for documentation showing proof of ownership before your claim can be verified and processed.

Individuals have been advised to search for any previous names or common misspellings of current and former names, the Missing Money website says. It’s also good to check relatives’ names if they’ve passed away and you’re the heir to their property.