Wisconsin treasury returns $27 million in unclaimed funds (6:54 a.m. 1/20/10)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state treasury made more than 26,000 people happy last year by reuniting them with cash they didn’t know they had.

The state sometimes ends up with people’s money in the form of uncashed paychecks, stock dividends or inheritances. But often people don’t file claims for that money because they don’t know about it.

That’s why State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass travels to every Wisconsin county, reminding residents of a state database where they can see whether the state is holding onto any of their cash.

According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the treasury’s Unclaimed Property Department returned almost $27 million in unclaimed property to Wisconsin residents last year.

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