Recovering Forgotten Bank Accounts: How the State of California Ends Up With Your Money

Did you know the State of California may be holding money that rightfully belongs to you? Every year, millions of dollars from forgotten or dormant bank accounts, unclaimed checks, and inactive savings accounts are transferred to the California State Controller’s Office (SCO) as unclaimed property. If you’ve ever moved, changed banks, lost track of old accounts, or failed to cash a check—you could have money waiting for you.

In this blog post, we’ll explain how forgotten bank accounts become state property, how to recover your funds, and how Get Married Today, Orange County Apostille, and Your Local Notary Public can support you with the required documentation, notarization, and official forms—especially if your recovery process involves proof of identity, marriage status, or deceased relatives.

What Is Unclaimed Property?
How Do Bank Accounts Become Unclaimed in California?
Common Types of Forgotten Financial Assets
What Happens to the Money Once the State Has It?
How to Search for Unclaimed Money in California
What You’ll Need to File a Claim
The Role of Notarization, Apostilles, and Legal Documents
Recovering Assets for Deceased Relatives
How Get Married Today Can Help with Marriage Documentation
How Orange County Apostille Supports Apostilled Identity Proofs
How Your Local Notary Public Assists with Affidavits and Forms
Final Tips and Takeaways

1. What Is Unclaimed Property?

Unclaimed property refers to financial accounts or assets with no activity by the rightful owner for a set period of time. In California, this period—called the dormancy period—is typically three years. After this time, businesses must report the funds to the California State Controller.

Examples include:

Checking and savings accounts
Uncashed checks or money orders
Utility refunds
Safe deposit box contents
Insurance proceeds
Stock dividends

2. How Do Bank Accounts Become Unclaimed in California?

Most forgotten bank accounts go unclaimed due to life changes:

Moving without updating your address
Closing a business
Changing your name after marriage or divorce
Death of the account holder without a will or next of kin filing a claim

If there’s no contact with the bank, the account is declared inactive and transferred to the State Controller’s Office.

Businesses are legally obligated to:

Attempt to contact the owner via mail
Wait for the dormancy period to end
Turn over the funds and details to the state

You don’t lose ownership—the state holds the money indefinitely until it’s claimed.

3. Common Types of Forgotten Financial Assets

Besides traditional bank accounts, you might also have:

Unpaid wages from former employers
Refunds from closed service accounts
Escrow balances or real estate overpayments
Class action settlement funds
Matured CDs or savings bonds you never cashed

In some cases, even deceased family members leave behind bank accounts or funds that relatives can claim with the right documents.

4. What Happens to the Money Once the State Has It?

After receiving the unclaimed assets, the State Controller’s Office:

Publishes the owner’s name online at https://www.claimit.ca.gov
Accepts claims for refunds indefinitely
Requires proof of ownership and identity before releasing funds

The state does not charge a fee to file a claim. However, many people hire help because the process can require notarized documents, proof of relationship, or apostilled identity papers—especially for out-of-state or international claims.

5. How to Search for Unclaimed Money in California

To search for your unclaimed bank account:

Visit https://www.claimit.ca.gov
Enter your name, business name, or deceased relative’s name
Review the list of properties
Click “File a Claim” and follow the prompts

You may be asked to upload supporting documents such as:

Photo ID
Social Security card
Old bank statements
Proof of name change
Death certificates (for heirs)

6. What You’ll Need to File a Claim

Depending on the situation, you may need:

Government-issued ID
Proof of address at time of account (old utility bills or tax returns)
Documentation of name change (marriage license or divorce decree)
Death certificate (if claiming for a deceased relative)
Court-issued letters of administration or affidavit of heirship

This is where our trusted service providers can help:

7. The Role of Notarization, Apostilles, and Legal Documents

The State Controller may ask for:

Notarized forms such as an affidavit of claim or identity verification
Apostilled documents if the claimant is living abroad
Certified copies of vital records, such as birth, death, or marriage certificates

This is especially common when:

You’re claiming property for a deceased spouse or parent
Your legal name has changed due to marriage or divorce
You reside outside California or outside the United States

8. Recovering Assets for Deceased Relatives

You may be entitled to your parent’s, sibling’s, or spouse’s unclaimed funds if they died intestate (without a will).

In such cases, the state usually requires:

Proof of your relationship (e.g., marriage certificate, birth certificate)
Certified death certificate
Possibly, a probate court order or affidavit of heirship

Get Married Today can provide legal proof of marriage, Orange County Apostille can apostille any required documents, and Your Local Notary Public can help notarize affidavits needed for your claim.

9. How Get Married Today Can Help with Marriage Documentation

If you’re claiming a deceased spouse’s bank account, you’ll need an official marriage certificate as proof. But what if you never obtained a certified copy? Or what if you were married in a private ceremony or outside the courthouse?

At Get Married Today:

We help couples obtain legally recognized marriage certificates
We assist with expedited copies from the county clerk
We help you apostille marriage documents for international use

This can be essential if you’re dealing with the state while living abroad or need to prove your spousal relationship for a bank claim.

10. How Orange County Apostille Supports Apostilled Identity Proofs

Many claims require apostilled copies of:

Passports
Birth certificates
Marriage licenses
Death certificates

If you’re outside the U.S. or need to send documentation to another country (to release international funds or foreign-held accounts), your documents may require California Secretary of State or U.S. Department of State authentication.

At Orange County Apostille, we:

Apostille vital records, court documents, and affidavits
Offer same-day processing in many cases
Make house calls and meet at your home, office, or coffee shop

We’ll ensure your documents are properly legalized—so you don’t have to deal with rejections or delays.

11. How Your Local Notary Public Assists with Affidavits and Forms

Filing an unclaimed property claim often requires:

Affidavit of Identity
Affidavit of Heirship
Power of Attorney for legal representatives
Certified copy of ID or signature verification

At Your Local Notary Public:

We offer fast and affordable notarization services
We notarize at homes, hospitals, offices, or by remote
We prepare and notarize custom affidavits for claimants

Don’t know what documents you need? We’ll help identify and notarize them properly for your recovery process.

12. Final Tips and Takeaways

✅ Don’t ignore letters from old banks—they might be notifying you before turning funds over to the state
✅ Search your name and family members’ names regularly at claimit.ca.gov
✅ Keep documentation up-to-date, including name change records and proof of address
✅ Act quickly—while the state holds funds indefinitely, processing your claim can take weeks or months
✅ Work with professionals—like Get Married Today, Orange County Apostille, and Your Local Notary Public—to prepare accurate, complete, and timely claim documents

Ready to Reclaim What’s Yours?

If you believe the State of California might be holding funds that belong to you or a loved one, now is the time to act. Whether you need a notarized affidavit, an apostilled birth certificate, or proof of marriage, our team is ready to help.

Contact Us:

Get Married Today – For legal marriage certificates and spousal verification
Orange County Apostille – For apostille certification of legal documents
Your Local Notary Public – For fast, flexible notarization at your convenience

Don’t let your money sit with the state any longer. Let us help you bring it home.