Unclaimed property isn’t a trap. It’s a solvable problem
Updated May 29, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ETThis opinion column has been udpated.It sounds like a scammer's email, but it's true: State governments across the country are holding about $100 billion ‒ some of which may belong to you or people you know.This unclaimed money ‒ or "unclaimed property" in government-speak ‒ isn't in the forms of benefits, grants or taxpayer assistance. It is people’s own money from forgotten bank accounts, unreturned security deposits, unused gift cards and other assets that people often just leave behind.States did not earn this money....