Unclaimed Property Day is February 1st

It is my honor to serve this year as the President of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. It is our duty as unclaimed property administrators to reunite the money and property we hold in custody with its rightful owner.

State unclaimed property programs return billions of dollars each year to our citizens. Last fiscal year, Louisiana alone returned $70,633,589.61, yet our incredible consumer protection programs remain unknown to many people!

We are looking to build off the success of our second annual Unclaimed Property Day this upcoming Tuesday, February 1st by educating the public and our local leaders about the unclaimed property programs our state governments provide.

There are a number of ways your office can get involved to help spread the word:

·        Send a press release to your local media outlets. NAUPA has developed a template press release to help earn your office some local media coverage and get the word out about February 1.

·        Draft a letter to your legislators to raise awareness and encourage them to get involved with outreach to their constituents. Our template letter, which can be tailored to state lawmakers and persons of influence, will educate them about unclaimed property and how they can impact marketing and outreach efforts within their communities.

·        Use one of the three social media campaigns (includes fact sheet, social media graphics, videos). The NAUPA Communications Committee and NAST's PR Team have several social media campaigns for states to leverage including a fact sheet, social media graphic, and videos. Our new campaign "It Takes 30 Seconds" showcases the simplicity of searching for your property. We also have the returning campaigns from last year: the "Odds of Unclaimed Property" and "Reunite with Your Money."

·        Spread the word about  ucpday.com and #unclaimedpropertyday. However you choose to get involved, we want to encourage states to direct traffic to ucpday.com which contains a link directly to all state’s websites and hashtag your social with #unclaimedpropertyday so NAST can follow and boost your posts.

The duty of unclaimed property is the work of a lifetime, but we hope you will help us make this day, February 1, a celebration of the tireless effort and incredible successes of these programs. States are required to return unclaimed property to its owner no matter how long it takes. Remember, it is their money and it should be with our constituents.

If you wish to learn more, we have a recorded webinar on how to get involved or you can access the materials here. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Jeremy Dawson with any questions.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Lobell,
Director of Unclaimed Property, Louisiana Department of the Treasury
President, National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators