LITTLE ROCK — The State Auditor is again promoting an effort to return unclaimed property to its rightful owners after the state collected $22 million in the last year in uncashed checks, stocks, bonds, abandoned bank accounts and safe deposit items.
Officials say the annual effort, dubbed "The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt," has already resulted in more than $74 million being returned to Arkansans since it began in 1983. More than $140 million is still waiting to be claimed.
"People deserve to get their property and money back. It's not serving any purpose for us," Auditor Jim Wood said Tuesday at a news conference at the State Capitol. "It's earning income for the state of Arkansas, but even at that, we would much prefer to return that to the rightful owners."
Wood announced the dollar figures collected in the the last fiscal year in front of a table holding an array of items taken from safe deposit boxes. The items ranged from rare coins to sports cards to jewelry to old photographs.
Over the years, Wood said his office has collected cremated human remains, a gallon a freshwater pearls and a box holding gold krugerrands worth $250,000.
"It made us nervous - we didn't want to have them on hand," Wood said of the South African coins, which have since been claimed. "We were worried someone would steal them or they'd be destroyed in some way."
The physical items are held in storage until they are claimed, with the state holding an auction when space gets tight. That's only happened once, Wood said, adding promoting the event usually garners a lot of attention from people interested in making claims.
Collecting the property is free for the rightful owners. More information on doing so is available at www.artreasurehunt.com.