CHAMPAIGN-URBANA (Chambana Today) – Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is reminding nearly 140,000 residents to cash the unclaimed property checks is you receive one in the mail. The checks were mailed as part of the Enhanced Money Match program, which allows the Treasurer’s Office to automatically return missing money to people without the need to file a claim. The money comes from the State Treasurer’s unclaimed property database. Treasurer Frerich’s office sent letters to unclaimed property owners that described the amount and source of the money that’s on the way.
Since 2018, the Illinois Treasurer’s office has returned more than $102 million to nearly 422,000 people through the Enhanced Money Match program. State lawmakers approved legislation in recent years to allow the State Treasurer’s Office to return even more money through the I-Cash program.
Enhanced Money Match is part of the state’s I-CASH program. The State Treasurer is tasked with safeguarding unclaimed property, such as the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. Illinois holds more than $5 billion in unclaimed property.
To see if you have unclaimed property, check the online database at www.illinoistreasurer.gov/ICASH