BOISE, Idaho — The State of Idaho might have a safe deposit box that belongs to you!
The Idaho State Treasurer's Office has a division specifically for unclaimed property. The Unclaimed Property Division currently has contents from over 2,300 safe deposit boxes collected from banks.
The box contents range from old treasures and heirlooms, to even cash that you may be able to rightfully claim! Often times, the boxes contain items like jewelry, photos, legal documents, collectables, or stocks and bonds.
According to the Treasurer's Office, the Unclaimed Property Division's vault is overwhelmed with safe deposit box contents, that the division is attempting to reunite with their owners as soon as possible.
The division said that every year, they receive millions of dollars and unclaimed valuables.
Businesses and organizations must regularly review their records for abandoned items and report such findings to the Unclaimed Property Division.
The process occurs when businesses and organizations lose contact with the owners of the safe deposit boxes, typically due to the death of the box owner and the family having no knowledge of the box's existence.
By law, the businesses must first attempt to contact the owner of the safe deposit box in an effort to return it. If the owner does not respond to the outreach, the items are considered to be abandoned.
Once considered abandoned, the bank or establishment then keeps the items in their possession for five years.
After this duration, if still unclaimed, the property is relinquished to the treasury division, of which the State of Idaho is responsible for safeguarding until claimed by the rightful owners or heirs.
At the Unclaimed Property Division, employees attempt to reunite the box items with either the original owner, or relatives of someone that is presumably deceased.
"Even if you haven't owned a safe deposit box in Idaho, one of your family members might have opened one to keep something important or sentimental to them safe," said the Idaho State Treasurer's Office.
The office is encouraging the community to check their database at YOURMONEY.IDAHO.GOV to determine if Idaho is currently holding assets that you are entitled to.
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