Does the Illinois Treasurer's Office Have your Money or Property?

Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office is holding $19 million in unclaimed property belonging to McHenry County owners so Rutherford is encouraging residents to attend his I-Cash event in Woodstock Thursday.

Rutherford is encouraging McHenry County owners to attend his I-Cash event from 10 a.m. to noon at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock, to see if the office has any of their money or property.

“People are thrilled to find out they have money just waiting for them through I-Cash,” Rutherford said. “I encourage area residents to come visit me at local I-Cash events for assistance in locating their money or property – plus everyone should make an attempt to review our online database annually so they don’t miss out on money or valuable assets the state is holding for them.”

The recent rebranding and marketing campaign has dramatically increased the number of searches on the I-Cash (formerly Cash Dash) website and the number of claims filed. In the first month after the launch of I-Cash, the number of web visits increased by 140 percent (69,087 to 165,683), and the number of claims increased by 322 percent (7,506 to 31,703) as compared to the month before the switch to I-Cash.

The treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division’s costs, including staff, computers and travel, are paid for through the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund, and not by tax dollars.

The I-Cash program helps reunite owners with their unclaimed property. The Unclaimed Property Division has more than $1.6 billion in cash, plus contents from Illinois safe deposit boxes that have been inactive for at least five years.

It’s common for people to lose track of their assets when they move or when loved ones pass away. Businesses and banks are required to turn over unclaimed accounts to the treasurer’s office.

Some examples of unclaimed property currently held by the treasurer’s office include the following:

• Money from inactive savings and checking accounts
• Unpaid wages or commissions
• Stocks, bonds and mutual funds
• Money orders and bill over payments
• Paid-up life insurance policies
• Safe deposit box contents.

To find out if you have unclaimed property through I-Cash, you can visit the treasurer’s website and follow the I-Cash link. The website is updated weekly to reflect new properties remitted to the office.

Contact the Unclaimed Property Division by calling 217-785-6998 or emailing info@Icash.Illinois.gov, although searches cannot be completed by telephone.