Annual list of unclaimed property in Nevada due out Tuesday

Wondering about an uncashed payroll check?

Or maybe a gift card? Even something left in a safe deposit box?

The Nevada state treasurer will be publishing its yearly unclaimed property list in several of Nevada’s newspapers at the end of the month. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is scheduled to publish the list Tuesday.

The unclaimed property varies and can range from uncashed payroll checks and gift cards to assets left in safe deposit boxes at banks or hotels.

The list has 312,555 properties that have been turned over to the state between July 2013 and May. There are more than $650 million in assets.

It does not include real estate, taxes or vehicles.

The time for a property to be considered abandoned or unclaimed varies by its type, but generally it is three years.

One of the reasons for abandoned or unclaimed property, according to Linda Everhard, deputy treasurer for unclaimed property at the Nevada state treasurer’s office, is that Las Vegas is a “mobile society.”

The last known name and address are included in the list, she said.

The list’s information comes from businesses after due diligence, or attempting to the reach the proprietors.

Businesses turn in a list that includes the last name and last known address of the owner, which is later uploaded to the state treasurer’s system, Everhard said.

One of the options to claim property is to use FastTrack, a subdivision of the state. According to the state treasurer’s website, “This process significantly reduces the amount of time required to verify the legitimacy of a claim.” The information needed: name, address and a valid Social Security number, Everhard said. Applicants will be notified online if they qualify.

Sometimes addresses might not be turned over or names will be misspelled. Everhard said that they “only have what (they) get from businesses.”

In that case, owners can fill out an application and send it with proof of a Social Security number.

Currently, the FastTrack process is unavailable, but claims may be filed online at nevadatreasurer.gov/unclaimed_property/file_claim.

There is also assistance available over the phone, and Everhard said workers also initiate claims at the office. The state treasurer’s Las Vegas office is at 555 E. Washington Ave., Suite 4600.

Although the list is only published once a year, she said, “we have items turned over periodically from audits.” She said that it is an ongoing process and that people should check back every six months.

The two major time periods, according to Everhard, are April and October.

Property may be claimed at any time. There is no deadline.

To search for unclaimed property, visit nevadatreasurer.gov and click on the yellow box labeled: “Search for Unclaimed Property.”

In a statement, State Treasurer Kate Marshall said, “I am very proud of the fact that Nevada’s Unclaimed Property Division is currently returning nearly 50 (percent) of the abandoned property transferred to the State, well above the national average of 33 (percent).”

This year the state treasurer’s office will be returning about the same amount of money as it did last year, which was almost $35 million, according to the statement.

Contact Andrea Corral at acorral@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285. Find her on Twitter: @andrea_corral2