The Montana Department of Revenue is asking people and businesses to find out if they have any money or unclaimed property that the state has been holding for them in trust. Public Information Officer Mary Ann Dunwell says the state has millions of unclaimed dollars in its possession.

“Folks just don’t realize that they might have an unused gift certificate that was misplaced, a bank account that was dormant, uncashed checks and money orders, insurance policy payments for themselves or their loved ones, stocks, bonds, contents from a safety deposit box, you name it,” said Dunwell.”

According to Dunwell, there are many ways folks can check to see if they have any unclaimed cash, but one simple way would be to pick up a copy of the local newspaper.

“In the major papers in Montana over the next few months we are going to be publishing inserts and you can look for your name,” Dunwell said. “The downside with that is that we publish the names only in your geographic region. For example, if you have a sister that lives in Billings and she has unclaimed property, it wouldn’t show up in the Missoulian.”

People can also visit revenue.mt.gov if they think they may have some unclaimed cash. Dunwell says people generally collect about $4.5 million each year, but the state takes in an average of $8 million.

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