Unclaimed Property Newspaper Insert Gets Makeover

For Immediate Release
October 16, 2009

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Susan Combs is giving the annual Unclaimed Property list its biggest makeover since the first list appeared in Texas newspapers in 1983.

The statewide newspaper insert listing thousands of unclaimed property owners will be replaced with six regional lists distributed on four days over the next five months.

“The redesign will help us provide better customer service by reuniting people with their money faster, since claims will now be spread out over several months, rather than a single peak period,” Combs said.

The new design will cut production costs by halving the number of pages that must be printed.

The new approach is the latest innovation in the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division that returned a record $147 million to claimants last year — a 19 percent increase over the year before.
One in four Texans are believed to have money or other property they could claim from the $2 billion the state is holding in their names.

The newspaper inserts list people who have had at least $250 in unclaimed property reported to the state within the last year.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, unclaimed property lists will run in newspapers in the Panhandle, Central and West Texas regions. A list for South Texas will be published Sunday, Nov. 15, followed by the Greater Houston area on Sunday, Dec. 13, and in the North Texas region on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. (A list of the counties in each region is attached.)

“Of course, you don’t have to wait until the Unclaimed Property list appears in your newspaper to find out if the state is holding forgotten cash or other valuables in your name,” Combs said.
More than 12 million listings from all years can be found at www.claimittexas.org. Or you may also inquire about unclaimed property by calling (800) 654-FIND (3463).

Examples of unclaimed property include dividend, payroll or cashier checks; stocks, bonds and mutual fund accounts; utility deposits and other refunds; insurance proceeds; mineral interest or royalty payments; dormant bank accounts; and abandoned safe deposit box contents.

Unclaimed Property Newspaper Insert
Counties in each region

Panhandle Region
Andrews, Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor, Borden, Briscoe, Callahan, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Coke, Collingsworth, Concho, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Gaines, Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Hockley, Howard, Hutchinson, Irion, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Lamb, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Mitchell, Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Runnels, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Swisher, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Yoakum, Young

Central Region
Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Coleman, Comanche, Coryell, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Hamilton, Hays, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Milam, Mills, San Saba, Travis, Williamson

West Region
Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Ector, El Paso, Glasscock, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, Winkler

North Region
Bosque, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Limestone, Marion, McLennan, Montague, Morris, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, Smith, Somervell, Tarrant, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Wise, Wood

Greater Houston Region
Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton

South Region
Aransas, Atascosa, Bandera, Bee, Bexar, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Comal, De Witt, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Frio, Goliad, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Nueces, Real, Refugio, San Patricio, Schleicher, Starr, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, Wilson, Zapata, Zavala