State Returns $84K In Unclaimed Property

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The state has returned $84,400 in unclaimed money to hundreds of Lafayette-area residents during an Unclaimed Property Awareness Day weekend event.

The Louisiana Department of the Treasury, in a news release Monday, said the average claim is usually around $900, but several claims filed at the Acadiana Mall event exceeded $1,000.

State Treasurer John Kennedy says the state still has $635 million that belongs to citizens statewide and he encouraged people to search the department's website to see if some of that belongs to them. Search online at www.LATreasury.com or call 1-888-925-4127.

Since 1972, the Unclaimed Property Program has returned more than $338 million to almost 570,000 Louisiana citizens. The money includes payroll checks, old bank accounts, royalties, utility deposits, interest payments, stock certificates and life insurance proceeds.