Nicki Gorini

The returns range from a few cents to a few million dollars and come from old bank accounts or forgotten certificates of deposit and the like, Treasury spokeswoman Nicki Gorini said.

The bureau has about $1 billion to return statewide.Gorini said that last year the bureau paid out $90 million to old account holders and insurance policy beneficiaries statewide.

But also during that year, she said, it got $194 million in new money for which it's now trying to find the owners, in part by advertising the names of 220,000 businesses and people statewide.
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Gorini said the bureau's 130 employees try to find more recent addresses and even call many of the owners.

But its list contains many people and businesses who haven't moved or died or closed.

So, why can't the state find them?

"It's not a challenge of finding the owner, but a challenge of getting them to make a claim," Gorini said.
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The state's liability to pay the owners whenever they show up goes on forever, Gorini said.

But that doesn't mean the money is waiting in a savings account somewhere.The state has invested some of it, and assuming some portion will never be returned to owners, has spent much of it in its general fund budget.

Asked if the state may be less inclined to find the owners if it gets to spend unclaimed money, Gorini said there may have been more of a potential conflict of interest years ago when the unclaimed funds were handled by the Department of Revenue, under the control of the governor.

Gorini said that during former Gov.

In Pennsylvania, the sale of 4,269 items over eBay brought in more than $262,000 in 2005, according to state treasury spokeswoman Nicki Gorini.

"We'd like to believe that's the exception rather than the norm," Treasury spokeswoman Nicki Gorini said.
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The bureau employs 121 full-time employees and six temporary workers, according to Gorini.That's nearly a quarter of the 520 employees in the department.

The treasury department is custodian of unclaimed property - such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, certificates of deposit, life insurance policies, unredeemed gift cards and safe deposit boxes.

The department is obligated to carry the unclaimed property forever, according to Gorini.
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The bureau relies on people seeing names in the newspaper and telling their relatives, neighbors and friends, according to Gorini.

Even unused gift cards and certificates end up at the treasury, said spokeswoman Nicki Gorini.

If people find their name in the newspaper, they can file a claim by calling (800) 222-2046.

And whether or not a resident's name is listed, people can double check at the department's Web site, www.patreasury.org, as well.Friends and family members -- including those who might have passed away -- might also be listed.

Claiming the money is free, said Gorini, noting there are companies the department refers to as "finders" that will charge people to find the money.

"The most important thing is that we get the word out you can claim your money for free through us," she said.

In Pennsylvania, the sale of 4,269 items over eBay brought in more than $262,000 in 2005, according to state treasury spokeswoman Nicki Gorini.