Home Unclaimed Property General Information General Information The Comptroller's Office serves as the legal custodian of stocks, bonds, savings accounts and other property (except real property) that are reported to us as unclaimed after three years by banks and other financial institutions. We have hundreds of thousands of records worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We try to locate the owners through newspaper advertising, online promotional videos, news media campaigns, mass mailings, outreach programs, and our free online search service. Some unclaimed property items from abandoned safe deposit boxes in our custody are also being auctioned on eBay to obtain the best return value for the rightful owners. The owners or their legitimate heirs can claim the funds at any time. There is no statute of limitations. You can find out if the Comptroller's Office is holding property for you by checking our website. You may also conduct a nationwide search by state using the NAUPA and MissingMoney websites. Finders The State of Maryland does not charge a fee for returning your property to you. Signing an agreement to have someone assist you in recovering unclaimed property may entail the payment of substantial fees. Effective July 1, 1991, such an agreement is unenforceable in Maryland if it covers property which has been in the state's custody for less than two years. For more information, read the Unclaimed Property Business Tax Tip #19 Maryland State Retirement and Pension System Unclaimed Funds The Maryland State Retirement Agency is attempting to find former public employees who did not work long enough to vest for a state pension benefit and return the contributions they made to the system to them. The retirement agency has established a searchable database on its website. Check the SRA's website to determine your eligibility to collect. Unclaimed Property List The State of Maryland offers claimants free access to abandoned property records via our website, Missing Money partner site, and through the use of mass advertising. The website is updated the first week of every month. You may purchase a download of unclaimed property owners for a fee of $4.00 with a letter of request. The letter should include the email address where the download can be sent and upon receipt, the requestor will receive a secure link and have a limited time to download the file to their computer. Payment may be rendered via money order or business check payable to The Comptroller of Maryland - Unclaimed Property. The address is as follows: Comptroller of Maryland Compliance Division Unclaimed Property, Room 310 301 W. Preston Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 The file includes the owner's name, owner's last known address as reported to the State and a claim number. The Comptroller is prohibited from disclosing social security numbers, the dollar amount, information related to the property type, information related to the holder, and financial notes, as this information constitutes confidential individual financial information which may not be disclosed according to Md. Code Ann., General Provisions Article (GP) §4-335. Additionally, under Md. Code Ann., Commercial Law, Section §17-311(b)(2) only a person in interest may obtain information about the amount or description of the property and the name and address of the person who held the property. There is no licensing requirement in Maryland to engage in locating abandoned property. Section §17-325 contains the only provision in Maryland&spos;s Abandoned Property Act which deals with these activities. It states that: All agreements to pay compensation to recover or assist in the recovery of property made within 24 months of the date the property is paid or delivered to the abandoned property office are unenforceable. Unclaimed Property Holder FAQs Are Due Diligent letters required? Yes, a written notice by first-class mail to the apparent owner at the owner's last known address. In the notice, the property holder must inform the owner that the holder is in possession of property subject to the abandoned property law and that the property will be considered abandoned unless the owner responds within thirty (30) days of the notification. The holder must send the notice not more than 120 days or less than 30 days before filing the required report with the Comptroller's Office. What dollar amount minimums require Due Diligent letters? Effective July 1, 2005 letters to be sent to accounts/owners with amounts of $100 and up. Negative reports, do I have to send to the State of Maryland? Negative or None reports are only required for utilities, nursing homes, banks and other financial institutions and all insurance companies on the other filing cycle. Please use form 918 to file a negative report. Please do not file electronically for accurate processing When can we start sending the reports to the State of Maryland? Please do not file prior to July 31st of that report year, unless otherwise directed. What is an Access Code? It is a self created code, please record this information in your records in case you don't finish filing. You may edit the report when you return to the site. Aggregate amounts, do I need to include the detail information? If your records do not show an owner name for any item, report the total aggregate amount. But if you have the owner vital information and the amount is under $100.00 dollars, please provide that detail information. Without it, we will have to direct the original owner back to your company for written proof of affiliation. Cannot Print Remit Advice? Please read Note at the bottom of a sample report. What methods can the report be filed? Paper Reports: 10 accounts or less no matter the dollar amount. Electronic: HRS PRO - Xerox HRS PRO Software Guide Electronic: UPExchange - ETM UPExchange Overview Web Entry. To use this application you will need Google Chrome Browser. This application allows you to submit unclaimed property reports and payment for one or more companies from a file without having to enter the data. The file will be securely transmitted for verification of correct format. The file must be a text file and must be in the NAUPA 2 format. How do I obtain a Holder Number? If you are a New holder using this application for the first time and do not have a Maryland holder number, please download the New Holder Information Form (click link - Maryland Unclaimed Property Application); and e-mail to upholder@marylandtaxes.gov. Where can I find the property codes? New Relationship and Ownership Codes with accompanying definitions were added and became effective on September 26, 2013, NAUPA Electronic File Information. How can I report Safe Deposit items? This is a 2 Step Process: Step 1 You will provide a detail inventory spreadsheet for each individual Safe deposit Box that you would like to report. We will review the detail sheet and will mark/note/check off which boxes will be Accepted or Rejected. During Holder reporting season it can take up to 30 days to review. Step 2 Once you have received the updated detail sheet for the Accepted boxes. We will make arrangements with the mailing information for our office to receive the Accepted contents. Are there instructions on how to use the Interactive Online Reporting Service on your site? Yes, There are instructions for uploading your NAUPA formatted file directly onto the site HERE. There are also instructions to hand key your report HERE. SAFE DEPOSIT BOX - FAQs 1. What is the procedure for submitting safe deposit box contents? First a preliminary report should be submitted for review via an inventory spreadsheet. Once the items from the preliminary report have been marked as accepted or rejected, the report is returned for preparation. Submit finalized report along with accepted Safe Deposit Box contents to be processed. 2. When should a preliminary report with the inventory spreadsheet be submitted for review? All preliminary reports should be submitted in the reporting year prior to October 31st to allow sufficient time for them to be reviewed and returned for finalized preparation. 3. Can Safe Deposit Box Reports be submitted with the Bank Account Reports? No, they are separate report from the annual Bank Account Report submitted with funds. 4. How long does it take for the inventory spreadsheets to be reviewed? It can take up to 30 days for the contents to be reviewed and marked as accepted or rejected. 5. What does accepted or rejected mean for reporting purposes? Rejected items are contents that do not have a monetary value for owner(s) to claim through our department and cannot be accepted by our agency. A few examples of rejected items are weapons, contraband of any kind, birth/marriage certificates, papers, receipts, etc. Accepted items are those contents that have a monetary value that can be shipped to our office along with your Safe Deposit Box Report and inventory detail sheet. Examples of accepted items are jewelry, coins, money, stock certificates, etc. 6. How are the accepted Safe Deposit Box contents mailed or shipped? The contents can be sent via UPS, Federal Express or certified mail at the banks discretion. 7. Can Safe Deposit Boxes be picked up? Yes, Safe Deposit Box contents within the state of Maryland can be arranged for pick-up by submitting a request either with the preliminary report or via email at upholder@marylandtaxes.gov for prior approval. 8. How long are banks required to keep the rejected contents of a Safe Deposit Box? Rejected contents can be destroyed by the bank after 90 days. 9. How are reports created for the accepted Safe Deposit Box contents? Safe Deposit Box reports can be submitted in NAUPA format via CD-ROM or through our website. https://interactive.marylandtaxes.gov/business/Compliance/UnclaimedPR/ Unclaimed Property FAQs You have questions about your unclaimed property; we have answers! Please review the following questions as it pertains to Unclaimed Property. If you have a question that has not been answered below, feel to free to contact us. What is Unclaimed Property? Mostly, it's money. Financial institutions, insurance companies and corporations must report bank accounts, contents of safe deposit boxes, wages, insurance benefits, security deposits, stock dividends and other funds to the Comptroller of Maryland if they remain unclaimed for three years or more. Unclaimed property does not include real estate, boats or cars. Is there a fee for finding out if I have unclaimed funds in the Comptroller's records? No. The Comptroller of Maryland does not charge a fee for searching its records or for helping you claim your money. What happens to the property if it remains unclaimed? Maryland's unclaimed property law is custodial, meaning that there is no time limit on claiming the money that is rightfully yours. You may claim the funds any time, and legitimate heirs may claim the funds after the original owner's death. What happens to the contents of safe deposit boxes? The contents of your safe deposit box are turned over to the Comptroller of Maryland after three years, and all items of monetary value will be sold at auction. The proceeds from the sale will be credited to an account in your name, and will be paid when you or your heirs submit a valid claim. Do other states have unclaimed property records that I can check? Yes. There is an unclaimed property office in each state and in the District of Columbia. Our unclaimed property office can provide you with the addresses and phone numbers of unclaimed property offices in other states. How can I find out if some of this money belongs to me? The quick and easy way is to check the unclaimed property search online any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You may also conduct a nationwide search by state using www.naupa.org or www.missingmoney.com. If I find unclaimed property in my name, how do I claim the money? Download a claim form. Send the completed claim form along with the supporting documents to the Unclaimed Property Unit, and the funds will be sent to you. Will I need documents besides the claim form? Yes. You will need documents proving your identity and connection with the referenced account. If you are an heir, or are making a claim in a representative capacity, you will need appropriate documentation of your status or authority. How does the claim process work? If you are claiming property in the possession of the state, you must complete and sign this claim form and forward it, together with the supporting documentation to the Unclaimed Property Section. Claims typically take 6-8 weeks to process once they are received. Processing times will very, please be patient. Unclaimed Property Forms The following forms are in the ADOBE .PDF format (Portable Document Format). In order to access each form, you must have version 3.0 or higher of the ADOBE Acrobat Reader program to view and print these forms. ADOBE Acrobat Reader is available for free online. These forms also have been formatted with a fill-in feature that allows you to type information into them on your computer and then print out a paper copy. Form Description COT/ST 912 Unclaimed Property Claim Form COT/ST 917 Unclaimed Property Holder Claim Form COT/ST 918 Maryland Unclaimed Property Report COT/ST 919 Maryland Unclaimed Property Detail Sheet New Holder Form New Holder Information Form COM/CD-912 Lista de control y formulario de reclamacion de bienes no reclamados Unclaimed Property Statutes If you have abandoned property, please review the Abandoned Property Act and COMAR Regulations to ensure you are in compliance with the State of Maryland. Title 17 - Abandoned Property Act and Regulations of Maryland COMAR Regulation 03.05.01.01: Abandoned Property Regulations Contact Unclaimed Property In Maryland: 410-767-1700 Toll Free: 800-782-7383 Fax: 410-333-7150 (We do not accept claims or reports by fax) Inquiries unclaim@marylandtaxes.gov Unclaimed Property Auctions mducpauctions@marylandtaxes.gov General Holder Reporting upholder@marylandtaxes.gov Manager Maheshwar Seegopaul MSeegopaul@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1700 Assistant Manager Deborah Vulcan dvulcan@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-2985 Contract Audit Liaison James Hackman jhackman@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1703 Holder Compliance Holder Compliance Group Manager Elsie Brown ebrown@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-5225 Holder Compliance Officer- Electronic Filing Genice McGill gmcgill@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1701 Holder Compliance Officer- Dormancy Control & Safe Deposit Box Reporting Elsie Brown ebrown@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-5225 Holder Compliance Officer- eBay James Hackman jhackman@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1703 Reciprocal Reports & Claims Kimberly White kwhite@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1707 Stocks & Mutual Funds Brandon Thomas Supervisor- Securities bthomas@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-1638 Claims Processing Ronald Carr Group Manager rcarr@marylandtaxes.gov 410-767-9659