By by Adrienne Mckenzie – special to the Standard
Escambia County residents could have thicker pocketbooks if they claim their property with the State of Alabama.
In all of Escambia County, there are more than 3,900 listings, which represents $920,000, according to the state treasury department.
State treasurer Kay Ivey announced August as &#8220Unclaimed Property Awareness Month” and said there is $370 million waiting in Montgomery to be given away. Ivey said in a press release that unclaimed property comes in all shapes and sizes.
Ivey said there has been more than $50 million received this fiscal year in unclaimed property. She also said more than $17 million was returned to residents of the state of Alabama.
According to Ivey, $22 million in unclaimed property was paid to 36,669 individuals last year.
Ivey said there is a lot of work involved in collecting the funds from different agencies that are not able to get in touch with the property owners.
Ivey suggests all Alabama residents to look for their name at www.treasury.alabama.gov in the unclaimed property database at the Treasury Web site. Any claim can be filed on the Internet or by calling 1-888-844-8400.