Every year, millions of dollars in unclaimed property—especially stock certificates and unclaimed dividends—are turned over to the California State Controller’s Office (SCO). If you or a loved one has ever held an investment account, purchased shares through an employer, or inherited stock assets, there’s a chance the state is holding your forgotten financial assets.
In this guide, we explain how stock certificates and dividends end up with the state, what you can do to search for and recover these assets, and how Claim My California Property can help make the process faster, easier, and legally compliant.
What Are Stock Certificates and Dividends?
Stock Certificates:
A stock certificate is a legal document that certifies ownership of a specific number of shares in a corporation. These can exist in physical paper form or as digital/electronic entries held through brokerage firms. In many cases, especially before the 2000s, shareholders were issued paper certificates.
Dividends:
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholders, typically from profits or reserves. These may be paid quarterly or annually in cash or in additional shares. If the issuing company is unable to deliver dividend payments to the shareholder—perhaps because of outdated addresses or closed accounts—those funds may be sent to the state as unclaimed property.
How Stock Assets Become Unclaimed in California
Your shares and dividends may become unclaimed and eventually reported to the State of California for the following reasons:
1. Inactive Accounts
If your brokerage account hasn’t had any activity for a certain period (usually 3 years), it may be flagged as dormant.
2. Returned Mail
If a dividend check or brokerage statement is mailed to you and gets returned due to a bad address, the company may not be able to locate you.
3. Death of the Owner
Many heirs are unaware of stock assets left behind by deceased family members. If the estate isn’t probated correctly or the company loses contact with the rightful heirs, assets may revert to the state.
4. Corporate Mergers and Name Changes
When companies merge or change names, shareholders may not receive notices or updates. This can lead to unclaimed dividends and undelivered stock replacement certificates.
5. Uncashed Dividend Checks
If dividend checks remain uncashed for several years, the issuing company is legally required to report and remit those funds to the state.
California’s Unclaimed Property Law and the Escheatment Process
Under California’s Unclaimed Property Law, companies must transfer unclaimed property—including financial assets like stock dividends and certificates—to the State Controller’s Office after a dormancy period. This legal process is known as escheatment.
The state then acts as the custodian of these assets, safeguarding them indefinitely until the rightful owner or their heirs come forward with a valid claim.
🔗 State Controller’s Unclaimed Property Page
How to Search for Stock Certificates and Dividends
The State Controller’s Office maintains an online search portal called California Unclaimed Property Search:
✅ Step-by-Step:
- Go to https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/
- Search by name – Enter your full legal name or the name of the deceased relative you believe had investments.
- Filter by city or ZIP to narrow results.
- Review entries that mention:
- Brokerages
- Financial institutions
- Public companies
- Dividend distribution companies
- Note the property ID numbers listed for each matching entry.
⚠️ Pro tip: Search variations of your name, including maiden names or middle initials.
What Information Is Required to File a Claim?
The State of California requires several documents to prove ownership and validate your claim. These may include:
For Stock Certificates or Dividends in Your Name:
- Government-issued photo ID (e.g., driver’s license or passport)
- Proof of address during the time the asset was active (e.g., old utility bill, tax document)
- Social Security Number (to confirm identity)
For Heirs or Successors:
- Certified death certificate of the original owner
- Proof of relationship (e.g., birth certificate, will, or trust)
- Legal authority (e.g., Letters of Administration, Small Estate Affidavit, or court order)
If the Stock Was Held in a Business Name:
- Articles of Incorporation
- Business license or tax records
- Document showing your authority to act on behalf of the company
Understanding Reissued Stock Certificates
If the state is holding stock shares under your name, they do not physically hold your stock certificate. Instead, the issuing company or its transfer agent retains those records. Once you submit an approved claim:
- The state notifies the issuing company.
- The company reissues the stock certificate or updates its registry.
- You are either issued the stock in electronic book-entry form or given the cash value if the shares were liquidated.
⚠️ In some cases, the stock may have been sold and only the proceeds (minus fees) are available for claim.
How Long Does It Take to Recover Stock or Dividends?
The process typically takes 3 to 6 months, depending on the complexity of your claim, especially if you’re acting as an heir or if multiple heirs are involved.
Working with a professional asset investigator like Claim My CA Property can significantly reduce delays and ensure your documentation is complete and accurate from the start.
Why Claims Are Often Rejected
Here are the top reasons unclaimed stock claims are denied:
- Missing documents (e.g., old address proof or legal authority)
- Incorrect forms
- Signature mismatch
- Incomplete chain of ownership for heirs
- Failure to notarize required affidavits
How Claim My CA Property Helps
Claiming lost stock certificates and unclaimed dividends can be overwhelming. That’s where Claim My CA Property comes in.
We offer:
- ✅ Free name search across state and federal unclaimed databases
- ✅ Guidance for filing correct forms with the State Controller
- ✅ Help retrieving supporting documentation (including from probate records)
- ✅ Assistance with affidavit drafting and notarization
- ✅ Coordination with the stock transfer agents
- ✅ Legal support for multi-heir or business claims
📞 Contact us today to begin your free unclaimed asset search.
Real-Life Example: Lost IBM Shares Found
A client in San Diego contacted us after seeing an old dividend check from IBM. The check was issued to his late father but never cashed. After an initial search, we discovered unclaimed shares worth over $12,000, held by the State of California.
With our help:
- A claim was filed using the decedent’s probate documents.
- We worked with the transfer agent to have shares reissued to the rightful heir.
- The client received the stocks in book-entry format and future dividends were redirected to their brokerage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still get the original paper stock certificate?
Not usually. Most companies no longer issue paper certificates and will provide ownership in digital format through their transfer agent.
Q: What if the company no longer exists?
If the company was acquired or merged, shares may have been converted. The value (or proceeds) may still be claimable.
Q: Do unclaimed stock dividends earn interest while held by the state?
No. California does not pay interest on unclaimed stock dividends.
Q: Can I file claims on behalf of other family members?
Only if you have legal documentation showing you are their representative, such as a power of attorney, executor of estate, or legal heir.
Let’s Help You Recover What’s Yours
Stock investments are among the most valuable unclaimed properties reported to the state. If you believe you or a family member may have lost track of shares or dividends, now is the time to act.
At Claim My California Property, we make sure:
- You are aware of every possible asset in your name
- Claims are filed correctly and completely
- You avoid rejections and delays
Let’s reconnect you with your lost investments.
👉 Click here to start your free search
📞 Or call us at (XXX) XXX-XXXX to speak to a real person today.
🔗 List of 25 Backlinks (Government, Financial, Legal Resources):
- https://sco.ca.gov/upd.html
- https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/
- https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsunclaimedprophtm.html
- https://www.finra.org/investors/unclaimed-securities
- https://www.nasdaq.com/glossary/s/stock-certificate
- https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc403
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-find-unclaimed-money-in-my-name-en-1583/
- https://www.usa.gov/unclaimed-money
- https://www.napo.org/unclaimed-property
- https://www.dre.ca.gov/Consumers/UnclaimedEscrowFunds.html
- https://www.treasury.gov/services/Pages/Unclaimed-Funds.aspx
- https://www.brokercheck.finra.org/
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-happens-to-dividends-that-go-unclaimed
- https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/sec-guide-to-finra-brokercheck.htm
- https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-alerts-62
- https://www.dtcc.com/
- https://www.boe.ca.gov/unclaimed_property.htm
- https://www.occ.ca.gov/topics/consumer-protection/index-consumer.html
- https://www.corporations.ca.gov/
- https://www.cdss.ca.gov/heir-relations
- https://www.courts.ca.gov/1267.htm
- https://www.ca.gov/health-and-human-services/#property
- https://www.canotarytraining.com/notarizing-stock-transfer-documents/
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes.xhtml
- https://claimmycaproperty.com/