Warren County residents have $4.5 million in unclaimed money and stock. Here’s how to claim it

The State of Mississippi wants to give you your money.

Under state law, dormant or unclaimed money or stock must be turned over to the State Treasurer after 5 years.

Vicksburg South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour said his office contacted the state treasury to find all the unclaimed property in Warren County.

“It equates to about four and half million dollars here,” Monsour said, adding, “It can range from $100 all the way to $10,000 to $197,000.”

To find out if the state has your money or stock, go to the State Treasury website and look for “Unclaimed Property” on the left side of the page. Enter your last name to see a list of all unclaimed property for that surname in Mississippi. If your full name appears, click on “THAT’S ME!” and follow the directions to download and submit a claim form.

State Treasurer David McRae is determined to return unclaimed property to its rightful owners.

“This is not the state’s money. It is your money, and especially with families struggling during the COVID-19 crisis, we want to make sure it’s returned to you,” McRae says on the website. “As such, we continue to process claims and cut checks to those determined to be the lawful heirs to unclaimed property. While we continue to process claims as quickly as we can, some delays must be expected. The process may take several weeks, depending on the nature and complexity of the claim.”

Note that a claim form must be notarized to be valid. During the COVID-19 crisis, the requirement for in-person notarizing has been waived, meaning that you can use remote notarizing.

“This waiver allows Mississippians to conduct business and tend to vital transactions while still following COVID-19 health guidelines,” Secretary of State Michael Watson said in a statement.

For information about remote notarizations, including a list of vendors, visit the Secretary of State website.