Special to
L’Observateur

METAIRIE — More than $150 million in unclaimedproperty belonging to New Orleans area residents is sitting in the State Treasury, and they can get help searching for it at an Unclaimed Property Awareness Day Saturday, January at Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie.

“We will help you search our database,” State Treasurer John Kennedy said. “We’ll even help you fill out the forms to claim any money you find. We have more than $600 million in unclaimed property statewide, and we want to return it to the people.”

Employees from the Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division will be stationed in the Center Court at the Lakeside Shopping Center, located at 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in Metairie, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Treasury employees will help residents file unclaimed property claims.

Individuals attending Saturday’s event are asked to bring a valid photo ID and Social Security Card to speed up the processing of their claims. Checks for all approved claims will be issued and mailed as quickly as possible after the event.

The average claim is $900 and usually includes old savings and checking accounts, payroll checks, CDs, stocks and dividends, insurance proceeds, oil and gas royalty payments, utility deposits and similar funds.

Since 1972, the Unclaimed Property Program has returned more than $338 million to nearly 570,000 Louisiana citizens.

Kennedy encourages Louisiana residents who cannot attend Saturday’s Unclaimed Property Awareness Day to search for missing money online at LATreasury.com or call the Treasury’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-925-4127.