AUSTIN (October 01, 2009)-Remember that feeling you get when you put a coat on for the first time in months and find a twenty-dollar bill tucked away in the pocket.

Well many Texans had that and more in their pockets after Texas Comptroller Susan Combs returned a record $147 million in unclaimed property to its owners in fiscal 2009.

That is a 19 percent increase compared to the same time period a year ago.

What was different about this year?
Combs expanded her agency's efforts to locate unclaimed property owners, producing an 18 percent increase in the number of claims filed in 2009, compared to the previous year.

• Nearly 49,000 owners reclaimed between $100 and $500
  
• Another 15,000 owners found between $500 and $1,000
  
• More than 17,000 Texans claimed more than $1,000.
  

But even after the Comptroller’s office returned a record $147 million, Combs says there is still a lot of money left over in the state’s unclaimed property fund.

"The current balance…is $2 billion, and that is far too much unclaimed money," Combs said. "That money belongs to Texans, and I know reclaiming it would make a difference to many people in these tough times. We're making every effort to let folks know about their unclaimed property and help them claim it."

Big Tex Plays a Big Role
Those efforts include searching the unclaimed property list at conventions, festivals, sporting events and other venues that attract large crowds - such as the State Fair.

Hundreds more unclaimed property owners will discover forgotten funds by searching the unclaimed property list at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.

The fair runs through Oct. 18 and the Comptroller's exhibit is located in the Grand Place Building, near the giant figure of Big Tex.

In addition to the longstanding exhibit at the State Fair, the Comptroller has added temporary staff to process an average of 2,000 simple claims per week.

That frees up veteran staff to handle the more complex claims like those filed by counties and municipalities.

Businesses and Individuals Not the Only Misplaced Owners
City and county governments owned $1.6 million of the money reclaimed in fiscal 2009.

The Comptroller's Unclaimed Property and Local Government Assistance teams have begun a collaborative outreach effort to inform local officials about potential revenue from the unclaimed property fund.

"Local governments are facing financial challenges," Combs said. "When we receive money that clearly belongs to a city or county, we contact them immediately and encourage them to claim it."

In fiscal 2009, the Comptroller returned money to about 357 cities and 211 counties.

So give it a shot. Head over to www.ClaimTexas.org and perform your own search in the unclaimed property database.

What have you got to lose but a few moments of your time?