Charlie Daniels Kicks Off Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt

State Auditor Charlie Daniels kicked off the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt, an effort to help return unclaimed property held by the state to its rightful owners and heirs.

Daniels said his office collected $23.9 million for fiscal year 2012. A total of over $178 million is still waiting to be found.

“With nearly 700,000 names on the list, there’s a good chance we could have property belonging to you,” said Daniels.  “That’s why I encourage everyone to check their local newspaper or take a look at our website.”

The web site can be found at www.auditor.ar.gov.

Arkansas law requires businesses and government organizations to report abandoned property to the Auditor of State after the property remains unclaimed for a specified period of time, usually 1-5 years.

Unclaimed property can include things like credit balances, security deposits, utility refunds, stocks, bonds, cash and even mineral royalties.

Once the property is turned over to the Auditor of State, it remains in trust for the original owner or the owner’s heirs to come forward and claim. Since the program’s inception, the Auditor of State has returned over $90 million to original owners of unclaimed property.