Before you turn the page on the unclaimed property list in this week’s Minden Press-Herald, do yourself a favor.
Look for your name.
Seriously.
Every year, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury publishes names of people who may be entitled to money or other property that has been turned over to the state as unclaimed.
That sounds like one of those government notices most people skim past.
This is one you should not ignore.
Unclaimed property can come from a lot of places. It may be an old bank account, a refund, an insurance payment, a utility deposit, a check that was never cashed or money connected to an account someone simply forgot about.
At some point, the company or institution holding that property could not locate the owner. Eventually, the funds were turned over to the state for safekeeping.
And now your name could be sitting in this newspaper.
The list in this edition includes people reported to the Louisiana Department of the Treasury as potential owners of unclaimed property in Webster Parish.
If you recognize your name, or the name of a family member, do not assume it is a coincidence.
Check it out.
There is no deadline for claiming the money. The state does require proof that you are the rightful owner, including photo identification and possibly other documentation that connects you to the property.
Claims can be filed through the Louisiana Department of the Treasury’s website at treasury.la.gov. You can also contact the Unclaimed Property Division at 1-888-925-4127.
The process is there for a reason. The Treasury cannot simply hand money to someone because a name matches. They have to make sure the property gets back to the person who actually owns it.
But that should not discourage you from checking.
I think a lot of people hear the words “unclaimed property” and assume we are talking about huge estates or some mysterious inheritance from a distant relative.
Sometimes it may be significant.
Sometimes it may be a relatively small amount.
Either way, it is your money.
And in a time when every trip to the grocery store, every utility bill and every tank of gas seems to cost a little more, I am not sure many of us are in a position to voluntarily leave money sitting in Baton Rouge.
There is another reason I hope people take a few minutes with this list.
Names are familiar in a community like ours.
You may not see your own name, but you might see a neighbor, former coworker, relative or friend.
If you do, tell them.
A quick phone call or text could help someone recover money they did not even know existed.
That is one of the advantages of a local newspaper. Sometimes the information on these pages is not just something to know.
Sometimes it is something you can use.
So before you move on to the sports section, the classifieds or whatever else you normally read first, take a few minutes and scan the unclaimed property list.
Look for your name.
Look for your family.
Look for someone you know.
There might just be a little surprise waiting for somebody in Webster Parish.
David Specht is president of Specht Newspapers, Inc., publisher of the Minden Press-Herald, Bossier Press-Tribune, and BIZ Magazine.