Online portal helps you track down unclaimed cash

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Kendall Downing

Story Created: Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:07 PM

Story Updated: Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:16 PM

MARION, Ill. - There's a new push in Illinois to connect people with money that's theirs, they just don't know about it.

Take Williamson County, for example, where people have more than $3.7 million in unclaimed property and funds sitting in the state's vault in Springfield.

The online portal I-Cash connects people with those funds. The money often comes from inactive bank accounts, bill over-payments, even life insurance policies.

After a while companies hand the money over to the state.

"You thought the stocks should've been doing something, but you weren't getting anything," said Geri Lyon, of Carterville.

Lyon discovered a 911 address change held up more than 15 checks from The Walt Disney Company.

Lyon said for years she and her family got statements but no stock certificates.

"They'd been going to the state," she said.

State Treasurer Dan Rutherford's office held two events Wednesday, one in Marion and the other in Harrisburg.

"We want to put this money back in the hands of the public as much as we can," said Rutherford.

Staff went through the database with people hoping to get lucky.

"Unfortunately I don't think they were collecting interest while they were sitting at the state," said Lyon.

Lyon estimates the state has about $800 of hers, but she didn't get it back Wednesday.

All the paperwork will go to Springfield to be processed.

For more information on whether you  have unclaimed property currently held by the state of Illinois, click here.

For Kentucky, click here.

For Tennessee, click here.

For Missouri, click here.