SEARCH TIP: Never reveal your social security information prior to submitting a claim. Initial searches will only require first or last names, and claims are filed directly with government offices.
From old train sets, to antiques, to gold and silver bars and coins, the state is holding on to millions of dollars worth of unclaimed property and unclaimed cash accounts.
When Eyewitness News 4 checked the state's website to see who has unclaimed property in New Mexico, we found that the bailed out banks and financial companies have unclaimed assets. From Bank of America, to AIG, to GMAC, the property can be old cash accounts, old utility bill refunds or lease payments the companies lost track of.
The total in New Mexico is around $75,000 among them. That's not much in the big picture, but a small piece of what could be a big pile of cash.
"New Mexico is a small state. If you were to look at all 50 states, you'd probably find millions of dollars that these companies have in assets, sitting in unclaimed property," Homans said.
The website (missingmoney) lists unclaimed money. Eyewitness News 4 found that the bailed out corporations have loads of unclaimed assets from coast to coast, too many to count.
Homans says he is baffled as to why the banks haven't bothered to get their hands on it.
"All they need to do is pick up the phone, talk to our unclaimed property, file a form, and we'll gladly send the money back to them," he said.
Albuquerque financial expert Greg Zanetti says he knows why.
"Thousands of dollars, actually, even millions of dollars didn't mean much to them any more. It's all about billions of dollars," Zanetti said.
We talked to a Bank of America spokesman who says the company does have a group that focuses on recovering these assets. He says they routinely file claims with states and last year recovered tens of millions nationwide.
