Santa Ana, CA — Orange County’s Auditor-Controller, Andrew Hamilton, announced the launch of a new, user-friendly website designed to help Orange County residents search for and claim their share of more than $700 million available in unclaimed property held by the state.
The new mapping tool was unveiled at a press conference held at the Old Orange County Courthouse, where Andrew and other leaders highlighted the importance of returning unclaimed money to rightful owners and their families.
“Our goal is to ensure every Orange County resident has easy access to money that is rightfully theirs,” said Auditor-Controller Andrew Hamilton. “This new website streamlines the search process so people can quickly find unclaimed funds that may help with household expenses, education, or savings. I’m proud our Office is delivering this important service to the community.”
Unclaimed property refers to money or other financial assets that have been held by businesses or government agencies and have gone dormant or unclaimed by their rightful owners for a specified period of time. This can include forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance payouts, or utility deposits. By law, these assets are turned over to the State until the owners or their heirs come forward to claim them.
Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Doug Chaffee praised the initiative saying: “This is local government at its best, using innovation and transparency to put money back in people’s pockets.”
Vice Chair Katrina Foley underscored the simplicity and benefits: “This new website makes it simple for families and businesses to claim money they may not even know they’re owed. This effort returns funds back into the pockets of our local residents, and in turn our local economy.”
Supervisor Sarmiento thanked the Auditor-Controller’s Office and called attention to fairness and responsibility: “Unclaimed property belongs to the people, and it’s only right that we remove barriers to residents recovering their money. Whether it is a forgotten account or a deposit left behind, I hope all of our residents take advantage of the new website – every dollar helps- especially when that dollar is yours.”
Supervisor Don Wagner applauded the effort to return unclaimed property to 12 Orange County cities: “I am thankful to the Orange County Auditor-Controller and State Controller for helping return $159,000 in unclaimed property to 12 cities across Orange County. These funds can now be reinvested into our local communities, supporting city programs and services that make a difference for residents every day. This initiative is a great example of government working efficiently to ensure resources find their way back to the people they belong to, and I applaud everyone involved for making this possible.”
Supervisor Janet Nguyen expressed gratitude for returning substantial funds in unclaimed property to the County of Orange: “It’s important that unclaimed property is returned to the rightful owners, whether it’s an individual or the County of Orange. It’s hard work to track down and collect these funds and $500,000 is a substantial amount. This will go back to the citizens of Orange County. Thank you to the Auditor-Controller and State Controller.”
The Auditor-Controller’s Office encourages all residents to visit ocunclaimed.gov and use the mapping tool to search for their property. Finding and claiming your property is free and simple.
ABOUT:
The Orange County Auditor-Controller’s Office and its 400+ employees work to ensure the County operates financially responsibly, effectively, and with transparency. Duties including payroll for over 18,000 employees, general accounting services, property tax allocation, budget control, accounts payable, and financial reporting.
The post New OC website helps residents to claim $700M in unclaimed property first appeared on New Santa Ana.