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Montgomery County residents claim more than $1 million in unclaimed property

By: Stephanne Davenport
| Published 11/22/2015

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - Many Montgomery County residents have found thousands of dollars waiting for them in the state’s Unclaimed Property database after doing an online search event at the Montgomery County Commissioners Courtroom Nov. 18, hosted by the Texas Comptroller’s office and Montgomery County Treasurer Stephanne Davenport.

Total claims have exceeded $1 million and that is just the beginning. The event was totally driven by the internet, social media and personal contact.

“I want to thank Treasurer Stephanne Davenport and her team for their outstanding grassroots push that helped make this the most successful county outreach event we’ve ever had,” said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. “Events like this help us stay on track to surpass last fiscal year’s record unclaimed property returns of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.”

Unclaimed Property representatives from the Texas Comptroller’s office in Austin came to Conroe Nov. 18 to help residents search for unclaimed property online.

One claimant was Montgomery County Attorney JD Lambright. “They (the treasurer’s office) notified me of the money and I found out I had an uncashed cashier’s check at Bank of America,” Lambright said. “It was from a decade ago - $10,250. I can’t even remember what it was from.” Lambright said he plans to put his money into savings.

The Montgomery County Treasurer’s office deals with unclaimed property as part of its normal duties.

“This event provided us an opportunity to showcase the level of cooperation we have between departments in Montgomery County while bringing attention to the county’s citizens, the more than $39 million they could claim,” Davenport said.

"County Treasurer Stephanne Davenport and her office have been very informative and helpful to the community in reaching out to those who may not be aware they have property unaccounted for," said State Representative Will Metcalf.

Many residents have gotten the surprise of their life.

“We found a widow who had $25,000 in a life insurance policy she didn't know existed,” Davenport said. “There was a gentleman that thought he was coming in to claim $800 and while he was waiting, looked up relatives and found $50,000 more. We put in a great effort to see if we could find people. The constable’s offices saw an opportunity to serve and were great at assisting with locating people. We saw many names we recognized and called them on the phone.”

Nathan Arrazate was disappointed he didn’t find any money for himself, but his father and half-sister each found money that had been unclaimed, he said.

“My dad got about $350 and my half-sister received close to $1,000,” Arrazate said. “I have one friend I contacted that has $90 and another friend I contacted, his business has $900.”

“Thanks to the hardworking folks in our Unclaimed Property Division and the tremendous partnership we have with Montgomery County Treasurer Stephanne Davenport and her team, we were able to generate more than $1 million in claims for the residents of Montgomery County,” Hegar said.

“The members of my staff are excited to help our citizens reclaim their assets,” said Davenport. “We had a lot of support for this effort beginning with commissioners court and including help with contacting people from Montgomery County Constable’s Gable, Hayden, Hill and event day security provided by Chief Roper with Constable Gene Deforest’s office. Payroll Coordinator Lindsey Doyal did an excellent job of leading the treasury staff and the outreach. The staff took a lot of ownership of the special project. Researching, calling people and facilitating claims with the state.”

“Texas has $4 billion in unclaimed property, and as comptroller, one of my jobs is to get that money back in the hands of those who earned it,” Hegar said. “I encourage Texans to search for their money online or contact my office to claim their rightful property.”

The Comptroller’s office has agreed to support Montgomery County residents with priority processing for the 30 days after the event. Davenport’s office goal is to reunite Montgomery County residents with at least $2 million of their property before December 18.

To search for unclaimed property at any time, or to view helpful how-to videos on the process, visit www.ClaimItTexas.org. For phone assistance, please call 1-800-654-FIND (3463).

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