Senator Pamela Althoff is trying to locate constituents who may be the owners of lost or abandoned property.

Senator Althoff is working with the Illinois State Treasurer's Office in a cooperative effort to find the owners of unclaimed assets under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.

Many area residents have assets waiting to be claimed. Most claims will be assets of at least one hundred dollars.

These unclaimed assets generally consist of checking or savings accounts, dividends, uncashed payroll checks and safe deposit box contents, although they could consist of nearly any unclaimed financial asset.

Under the Act, after assets have been abandoned or inactive for five years, the holder of the property must attempt to locate the owner. If the effort fails, the assets are turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer then holds the assets indefinitely until they are claimed by the owner or heirs of the estate.

If you are on the list, you need to write to the Illinois State Treasurer's Office. The address for the State Treasurer's Office is:

Inquiries must be in writing and include the name, address and county of residence of the claimant.

The State Treasurer's Office will provide you with specific information about the amount or type of asset being held and how to claim it.

The lists are released quarterly and names do not carry forward to the next quarter's list. There is a chance that new Unclaimed Property is identified and a person's name would appear on more than one list. It is advisable to search each list.

Click on the links below to view the lists: