How would you like a chance to win the lottery without buying a lotto ticket? Well the chances of that happening are pretty slim, but there is a program run by the state of California that has the potential of bringing in some unexpected money to some Los Banos families.

According to the 'Unclaimed Property Division Main Page' on the California State Controllers Website, you could be one of millions of Californians owed money by the State. Most people in this situation are not even aware that they are owed money. According to the website which is located at: http://www.sco.ca.gov/upd.html "The State of California is currently in possession of more than $5.7 billion in Unclaimed Property belonging to approximately 11.6 million individuals and organizations." The website goes on to say, "The State acquires unclaimed property through California's Unclaimed Property Law, which requires "holders" such as corporations, business associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies to annually report and deliver property to the Controller's Office after there has been no customer contact for three years. Often the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address or the forwarding order expires. In some cases, the owner dies and the heirs have no knowledge of the property."

Determining if you might be eligible for a potential distribution of a portion of this unclaimed money is pretty easy. The state maintains a database that is accessible online at http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/ where individuals with an internet connection can enter their name and determine if the state is potentially holding funds of theirs. In addition widows, children, and other potential heirs can enter the names of deceased loved ones and determine if they possibly have entries in the database for these people that should be further investigated.

According to the state's website, the most common types of unclaimed property are:

• Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
• Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
• Uncashed cashier's checks or money orders
• Certificates of deposit
• Matured or terminated insurance policies
• Estates
• Mineral interests and royalty payments, trust funds, and escrow accounts.

If you enter your name and there is unclaimed property listed in the database, the website will come up with a screen describing the type of property, the value, and who the property was reported by. The website then explains how to go about making a claim for the property - a process which seems relatively straight forward.

The monetary values that are reported can vary from a few cents to thousands of dollars so it may be well worth your time to check into this free program offered by the State of California... especially in these hard economic times.

If everyone in Los Banos would just take 1 or 2 hours a month to do something to help their neighborhood or their community we could truly make Los Banos the gem of the valley.

The above is only my personal opinion and I strongly encourage readers to seek out more information from expert sources. Copyright 2010