Felder’s “Claim Your Unclaimed Funds” Event a Tremendous Success

On Tuesday, February 25, Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) hosted a “Claim Your Unclaimed Funds” event at his district office in conjunction with the Office of the New York State Comptroller. Personnel from Comptroller DiNapoli’s office were available to assist constituents in searching the Unclaimed Funds database and to help them file claims. A record crowd of over 200 people attended, prompting the Senator to plan a future unclaimed funds event in order to accommodate everyone.

“The number of people who showed up was absolutely surreal,” said Senator Felder. “It was so gratifying for me to help facilitate the return of these unclaimed funds to their rightful owners. Many people did not think they would find any monies in their name, but were pleasantly surprised.”

At the Senator’s event, more than 700 name searches were conducted, and ultimately, 200 claim forms were filed. Many individuals were pleased to discover they had money owed to them.

“During these economic times where every penny counts I was surprised and pleased to find out that I had unclaimed funds,” stated Midwood resident Solomon Seltzer. “I want to thank Senator Felder and NY State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for providing this service to the community.”

Under State law, banks, insurance or investment companies, utilities, and other businesses are required to surrender inactive accounts to the State, which then becomes the custodian of any abandoned funds until the monies are claimed.

"There is more than $12.5 billion in lost and forgotten money waiting to be returned to the rightful owners," said New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. "Becoming separated from your money can happen to anyone. I encourage all New York residents to visit our website or call my office to see if there are any unclaimed funds accounts belonging to them."

To determine if you have unclaimed funds with the State, please contact the Office of Senator Felder at 718.253.2015, call the New York State Comptroller Office of Unclaimed Funds at 1-800-221-9311, or visit them online at https://ouf.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/.