SACRAMENTO – State Controller Betty T. Yee announced nearly $770 million in cash recently was transferred to the state of California for safekeeping.

“People should check today and see if the State Controller’s Office has their forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, safe deposit boxes, or more,” said Controller Yee. “A search of the unclaimed property database only takes a couple minutes and this is a great time to do it because more properties transfer from banks, businesses, employers and life insurance companies each summer.”

There is no time limit or cost for submitting a claim directly to the State Controller’s Office.

The state is protecting 48.1 million properties. During the 2017-18 fiscal year, property owners received about $309 million for nearly 580,000 claims with an average payout of $534.

Starting this month, people can download the unclaimed property database for free and see if people in their area have money or items being safeguarded by the state.

To claim electronically, property owners fill out a secure form online (including name, social security number, birthdate and address).

Some more complicated claims such as those with multiple owners, safe deposit box contents and cashier’s checks may need additional proof of ownership.

Potential owners can search on the Controller’s database at www.claimit.ca.gov or call 800-992-4647.