McRae: An Update from the Road

By Treasurer David McRae

Over the last few weeks, my team and I have been crisscrossing Mississippi to celebrate an exciting milestone: we’ve now returned more than $150 million in unclaimed money to the people of our state. That’s more than all previous Mississippi Treasurers – combined. Along the way, we’ve helped return hundreds of thousands of dollars more during the tour itself.

From day one, I’ve viewed unclaimed money as exactly what it is: your money, not the government’s. Whether it’s an energy bill refund, an insurance payout, or an unredeemed stock, this money belongs to the hardworking Mississippians who earned it but, for one reason or another, lost track of it. If that’s the goal, then our job is simple: get the money back to you as quickly as possible.

To do that, we’ve modernized the program with eClaims, making it faster and easier than ever to file online.

We’ve also launched proactive return efforts, known as Money Matches, where we identify rightful owners and send the money automatically—no forms or applications required. Our most recent Money Match, completed in October, returned more than $1.3 million statewide. All the recipients had to do was cash the check when it arrived in the mail.

Reaching $150 million is a big deal. It’s a record-breaking achievement. But we’re not done yet. That’s why I launched this statewide tour, with stops in Oxford, Starkville, Meridian, and Hernando (and still ahead: Madison and Pass Christian). I wanted to come to you, in person, to help even more Mississippians find their unclaimed money and get more of it circulating back into our communities.

Along the way, I’ve met folks from every corner of the state. We’ve reunited families with long-lost funds and even helped parents start saving for their children’s college and career goals using their unclaimed cash.

In Hernando, we found nearly $5,000 for employees at The Baker’s Corner alone. In Oxford, a small business owner discovered $15,000 for her business. And in Starkville, one family found $180,000 – talk about a surprise! No matter where we stopped, families were uncovering their treasures.

What’s more, during the tour, searches and claims on our website more than doubled, showing exactly why we embark on tours like this.

If you haven’t had a chance to see us on the tour, you can still check for unclaimed money anytime. Just visit treasury.ms.gov/search. It never hurts to look; you might be surprised by what you find.

I hope to see you down the road soon.

Mississippi Treasurer David McRae is the 55th Treasurer for the State of Mississippi. In this role, he helps manage the state’s cash flow, oversees College and Career Savings Mississippi, and has returned more than $140 million in unclaimed money to Mississippians. For more information, visit Treasury.MS.gov.