$15 billion hiding in plain sight: How to find unclaimed property in California
ALL RIGHT, SO EVERY DAY, CALIFORNIA’S COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE HELPS INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES RECLAIM MORE THAN $1 MILLION. THAT’S MORE THAN 1 MILLION IN FOUND MONEY. NOW IT COULD BE YOUR TURN. AND THIS MORNING, WE’RE JOINED BY STATE COMPTROLLER MALIA COHEN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. MY PLEASURE. OKAY. I THINK FIRST THINGS FIRST, WE SAY MILLION DOLLARS A DAY. THAT’S A STAGGERING AMOUNT. IT IS A STAGGERING AMOUNT. WHAT’S EVEN MORE STAGGERING IS THAT WE HAVE 15 BILLION. UNDER UNDER OUR PROTECTION. WOW. SO WHERE DOES THIS MONEY ALL COME FROM? FOR THE MOST PART, YOU KNOW, IT COMES FROM VARIOUS PLACES. IT COMES FROM CLOSE PEOPLE CLOSE DOWN AN ACCOUNT AND THEY FORGET ABOUT THEIR MONEY. IT COULD COME FROM, SAY YOU PUT A DEPOSIT DOWN ON AN APARTMENT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, AND THEY MOVE OUT AND THEY DON’T COLLECT THE DEPOSIT. IT COULD COME FROM YOU LEFT YOUR JOB AND THEY’RE PUTTING THE CHECK IN THE MAIL, BUT IT DOESN’T MOVE AND IT DOESN’T QUITE MAKE A CONNECTION. SO THIS MONEY COMES FROM VARIOUS DIFFERENT PLACES. I WAS GOING TO SAY YOU KIND OF JUST TOUCHED ON IT, BUT WHY? WHY OFTEN DO YOU FIND THAT SO MUCH OF THIS MONEY, ESPECIALLY THOSE LARGER AMOUNTS, GO UNCLAIMED? YOU KNOW, I THINK HAS TO DO WITH JUST AWARENESS, A LACK OF AWARENESS WHEN PEOPLE ARE AWARE, WHICH IS WHY WE’RE DOING THIS SEGMENT NOW, THAT THEY SHOULD GO TO THE WEBSITE, THAT THEY SHOULD CLAIM THEIR MONEY, THEY’RE DOING. SO WE HAVE SEEN A JUMP IN OUR WEBSITE TRAFFIC IN THE LAST MONTH THAT WE’VE BEEN DOING THIS PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. I’M TRYING NOT TO PUT YOU UNDER PRESSURE, BUT HOW MANY OF THESE CLAIMS TECHNICALLY ARE THERE? BECAUSE $15 BILLION, THAT’S THAT’S A LOT BECAUSE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME IN SOME CASES, VERY SMALL DOLLAR AMOUNTS. YES. SO WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL DOLLAR AMOUNTS. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT LARGE DOLLAR AMOUNTS. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY ALONE. IT’S $660 MILLION WAITING TO BE CLAIMED. BUT THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS THERE BUSINESSES. AND OFTENTIMES YOU CAN HAVE A LOVED ONE THAT HAS PASSED AWAY. AND YOU ARE UNAWARE THAT THEY HAVE AN INSURANCE POLICY. YOU ARE UNAWARE THAT PERHAPS THEY HAVE A. SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX AND THAT THERE’S VALUABLES THAT ARE INSIDE THE SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX. SO THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT VALUABLES COME INTO OUR. PROTECTION. GOTCHA. OKAY. SO WHAT IS THE LARGEST SINGLE AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD. SO YOU HAND IT OUT. I REMEMBER ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE ATTENDED A LAKERS GAME AND JUST RANDOMLY ASKING PEOPLE, ALMOST LIKE BEGGING PEOPLE TO COME CHECK THE DATABASE. AND THIS GENTLEMAN SAID, OKAY. AND HE FOUND A LITTLE OVER $10,000. WOW. AND OF COURSE, WE HAD THE BIG CELEBRATORY CHECK ALL ON STANDBY. YOU DID OKAY. YEAH, YOU BROUGHT IT WITH YOU, AND WE BROUGHT IT, AND WE. AND WE CELEBRATED HIM $10,000. HE WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER THAT SHUT DOWN A BUSINESS AND HAD OPENED UP ANOTHER ONE. AND JUST THROUGHOUT THE CHAOS OF JUST MOVING BUSINESSES, LOST TRACK OF THAT MONEY. THAT’S AMAZING THAT YOU CAN EVEN LOSE TRACK OF THAT CHUNK. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU ANY SIZE AMOUNT PEOPLE ARE LOSING TRACK OF. SO HOW DO FOLKS COLLECT? OH, VERY SIMPLY. GO TO OUR WEBSITE. GO TO CLAIM IT.C.GOV. AND YOU’RE GOING TO ENTER YOUR FIRST NAME AND YOUR LAST NAME. YOU’RE GOING TO SEARCH A DATABASE AND SEE IF WE’RE HOLDING ANY OF YOUR PROPERTY. OKAY. NOW IF YOU DO FIND YOUR NAME AND YOU WANT TO TRY AND COME CLAIM IT, DO YOU NEED A FORM OF ID? WHAT’S THAT PROCESS. SO THERE’S A LITTLE BIT MORE DUE DILIGENCE THAT WE NEED TO DO ON OUR END. WE NEED TO VERIFY YOU AND VERIFY THAT YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE, AND THAT YOU’RE THE RIGHTFUL HEIR TO THIS, TO THIS ASSET. AND THEN ONCE THAT THAT LEGAL PAPERWORK IS IN PROCESS IS DONE, THEN WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REMITTING THAT THAT REMITTING THAT MONEY BACK TO YOU. SOUNDS GOOD. $15 BIL
$15 billion hiding in plain sight: How to find unclaimed property in California
Updated: 12:01 AM PST Feb 25, 2026
Every day, California’s Controller’s office helps people and businesses reclaim more than $1 million.State Controller, Malia Cohen, joined KCRA 3 on Tuesday morning said there is more than $15 billion in unclaimed property in California.Cohen added the property ranges from a few dollars for individuals to thousands for businesses or the insurance policy of a loved one that has passed away. ”Its very simply, go to our website…see if we are holding any of your property” said Cohen.  Cohen said the single largest sum she has reunited someone with was $10,000 , which belonged to a business owner in Los Angeles.Watch Cohen’s interview with KCRA 3 in the video player above. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Every day, California’s Controller’s office helps people and businesses reclaim more than $1 million.
State Controller, Malia Cohen, joined KCRA 3 on Tuesday morning said there is more than $15 billion in unclaimed property in California.
Cohen added the property ranges from a few dollars for individuals to thousands for businesses or the insurance policy of a loved one that has passed away.
 ”Its very simply, go to our website…see if we are holding any of your property” said Cohen.  
Cohen said the single largest sum she has reunited someone with was $10,000 , which belonged to a business owner in Los Angeles.
Watch Cohen’s interview with KCRA 3 in the video player above.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel