A new service is helping New Brunswickers get unclaimed funds that have been waiting for them for years.
The Funds Finder website is the latest program from the Financial and Consumer Services Commission with the goal of putting more money back into the pockets of New Brunswickers. Although, it’s money that has always belonged to them.
Marissa Sollows, director of communications and public affairs, explained what unclaimed property is.
“For example, a relative who’s passed away left an estate, but the heirs were never located. It may be that you received a check that you didn’t cash, or you left a job but perhaps you moved and didn’t return to get your last paycheck. It could be that you had a deposit paid for your utility account and when you moved, perhaps they didn’t have the updated address to send it back to you,” said Sollows.
She says most people are shocked to learn how much money is just sitting unclaimed. In New Brunswick, she says the number is over $30 million. In extreme cases, individuals could be leaving massive lump sums on the table that rightfully belong to them.
“We have one individual in New Brunswick that found over $60,000 of unclaimed funds, and the claim is currently being finalized and their check should be in the mail this week,” said Sollows.
Finding out if you have any unclaimed funds is easy with the recently launched Funds Finder website. Just go to the search tab, put in your information and see what comes up. If it turns out that you do have unclaimed funds waiting for you, just click on it to submit a claim, and be prepared to show proof of identification.
