Controller Expands Online Language Support for Unclaimed Property Owners
PR10:15
5/21/2010
Contact: JACOB ROPER
916-445-2636
SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today launched new sections of his website aimed at helping Armenian, Korean and Vietnamese-speaking property owners find their lost and unclaimed property.
The Controller’s unclaimed property site, www.claimit.ca.gov, now allows users to choose from several language options when searching through more than $5.7 billion in unclaimed properties belonging to 11.6 million individuals and organizations. Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog support also is accessible through the site.
State law requires businesses such as utility companies and banks to turn over abandoned property if there is no customer contact for three years. Often the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address. In some cases, the owner dies and the heirs have no knowledge of the property.
Since taking over the program in 2007, Controller Chiang has dramatically improved property owner notification, upgraded the system that processes owner claims, and established a locator unit with individuals dedicated to tracking down rightful property owners.
Note: Some non-English language fonts may not appear correctly on computer systems using a combination of the Windows XP operating system and Internet Explorer version 8 browser. This can generally be addressed by downloading additional language software, or using a different combination of programs.
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