Billions unclaimed: So far 1,843 locals get money
More than 1,800 locals found cash on a state database since our report, but some very high profile New Yorkers weren't among them
- Hillary Clinton, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley among those owed money.
- Lower Hudson Valley residents respond after Lohud.com publishes unclaimed cash database.
- More than 1,800 claims for $255K filed in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam counties.
More than 1,800 Lower Hudson Valley New Yorkers claimed $255,000 from the state's unclaimed funds pool after a report by The Journal News/Lohud.com revealed that the region was owed tens of millions.
But some high-profile locals weren't among them.
The Journal News/lohud report prompted thousands of searches of the comptroller's database by regular residents throughout the region, which paid off for 1,843 locals in the 10 days after the report published online. That includes a high of $8,160 for one Ossining resident over that period.
But on the other end of the spectrum, a review of the state database shows that several Lower Hudson Valley celebrities have money waiting to be claimed, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Secretary of State and presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley.
The database does not reveal the dollar value of the accounts. But actress Felicity Huffman of "Desperate Housewives" is looking at a 2015 Verizon wireless refund. And NFL chief Roger Goodell, a Bronxville resident, has a four-year-old check from the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance calling his name.
Also on the notables list are:
- Actress Lorraine Bracco, who has an unclaimed 2009 payment from Citibank listed to her former home in Palisades.
- Director Jonathan Demme from Upper Nyack has some uncashed checks.
- The estate of the late Wellington Mara, the NY Giants owner from Rye, has money coming its way from the French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent.
Billlions still waiting
And there are $14 billion still waiting to be spoken for statewide — whether you're famous or not.
"New York residents should search our website at least twice per year," said Lawrence Schantz, director of the comptroller's Office of Unclaimed Funds. "When you change your clocks, check for unclaimed funds."
READ: Our unclaimed funds report
MAP: Where the money is
SEARCH: Lower Hudson Valley funds
SEARCH: State comptroller's database
Abby Teator, a spokeswoman for New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, said the newspaper's report did not prompt a significant spike in claimed money. However, it did push four Lower Hudson Valley municipalities into the state's top 10 for most visits to the state database over a 10-day period:
- White Plains: 885 visits, fourth most statewide; 108 claims filed worth $16,093.
- Yonkers: 798 visits, seventh in the state; 154 claims worth $20,409.
- New City: 715 claims, eighth in the state; 71 claims worth $9,347.
- New Rochelle: 655, ninth most in the state; 79 claims worth $16,558.
Millions for Lohud folks
The Journal News/lohud reported on June 15 that there were more than $302 million waiting to be claimed by residents and business in the Lower Hudson Valley, based on a review of records obtained under the New York State Freedom of Information Law . The records examined the comptroller's unclaimed funds database for each of the 119 ZIP codes in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.
Scarsdale's 10583 ZIP code, which is geographically the region's largest postal zone, topped the list with more than $15 million in unclaimed funds. The 10701 section of Yonkers had $11.7 million in unclaimed funds, while Mount Vernon's 10550 and New Rochelle's 10801 ZIP codes each had $8.4 million.
The Spring Valley 10977 ZIP code was highest in Rockland, at $8 million, and Mahopac topped Putnam with $2.9 million.
The $8,100 Ossining claim was filed June 22. The recipient, who asked not to be identified, filed the claim after his father read The Journal News/lohud report and searched the comptroller's database. He found his son's name and notified him. State officials said the hefty check was mailed out six days later.
FACTS: About the fund
RELATED: Local oddities
LOST & FOUND: Other places to search
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told The Journal News that the unclaimed money "comes from various sources."
"If you move without updating your contact information and if there’s no activity in the account, under the law the bank or the financial institution has to declare that account dormant and then they have to attempt to reach the account holder," he said. "When they can’t, and people see those legal notices in the paper, after a period of time the money is turned over to us and we maintain the account until the owner finds us or we find them.”
DiNapoli said his office returns an average of $1 million a day, but that the statewide total of $14 billion continues to grow as new accounts come in. The funds date to the 1940s, and are typically between $50 and $100 each.
The largest single amount paid out was a $4 million stock claim in 2008, while the largest remaining single account is worth about $1.7 million.
Quirks revealed
Locally, the newspaper's report revealed some oddities. For instance, a review of the data for ZIP codes in the three counties found that more than a dozen cover little or no land, and at least 10 have no population, according to the U.S. Census.
One of the region's smallest postal zones is the 90-acre Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers seminary in Ossining, which has its own ZIP code.
State records show that there are 158 unclaimed accounts tied to the seminary, worth a combined $173,000. Mike Virgintino, a spokesman for the order, said Maryknoll has an employee dedicated to seeking out unclaimed funds and was now doing so for the local accounts.
Twitter: @jfitzgibbon
