Americans with forgotten bank accounts or insurance payments can recover unclaimed money — here’s how to check

Americans who left money behind in a forgotten bank account or insurance policy may be able to recover it, according to USAGov, the federal government’s official information website. Most unclaimed money is held by state governments.

Money counts as unclaimed when a business, financial institution or government agency owes it to someone who never collected it. It can sit untouched for years until the owner files a claim.

There is no single place to search for every type of unclaimed money. State offices hold the largest share, but several federal agencies keep their own records for wages, pensions, savings bonds and funds from failed banks.

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Where is unclaimed money from forgotten bank accounts and insurance held?

Most unclaimed money ends up in state hands. Dormant bank accounts and insurance policies are among the most common sources, along with money owed by state agencies themselves.

The first search should be with the unclaimed property office in your current state. Anyone who has moved should also check the offices in every state they’ve lived in.

Relatives can search too. A legal heir may be able to file a claim for money that was owed to a family member who has died.

Which federal databases can help you find unclaimed money?

Money tied to federal programs, employers and failed institutions doesn’t go to the states. Each type has its own search tool:

• Failed banks and credit unions: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has a database of unclaimed funds from closed banks. A separate tool covers deposits at credit unions that shut down.
• Veterans’ life insurance: The Department of Veterans Affairs lists unclaimed insurance funds owed to veterans.
• FHA mortgage insurance refunds: Homeowners whose mortgage was insured by the Federal Housing Administration can check a Department of Housing and Urban Development database to see whether they qualify for a refund.
• Savings bonds: TreasuryHunt.gov finds matured bonds that no longer earn interest. The site also explains how to replace a lost or destroyed bond.
• Back wages and pensions: The Department of Labor lists back pay employers may owe workers. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. helps former employees find pensions they never collected.
• Tax refunds: The IRS’s Where’s My Refund? tool tracks the status of a refund that hasn’t arrived.
• Investor payouts: The Securities and Exchange Commission lists money returned to investors through enforcement cases.
• Bankruptcy cases: The U.S. Courts Unclaimed Funds Locator shows money owed after a person or company declared bankruptcy.
• Individual Indian Money accounts: The Interior Department’s Bureau of Trust Funds Administration runs a search tool called Whereabouts Unknown. It covers accounts held for Native American and Alaska Native beneficiaries.

One option is no longer available. The deadline to claim unpaid stimulus checks, formally called Economic Impact Payments, has passed.