State Controller Malia M. Cohen and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia Announce February as Unclaimed Property Month in California

SACRAMENTO - State Controller Malia M. Cohen, together with Assemblymember Valencia, today announced the adoption of Assembly House Resolution (HR) 79 declaring February 2026 as Unclaimed Property Month, aimed at raising awareness and educating Californians about unclaimed property and how they can be reunited with their money or property.

California's Unclaimed Property program is administered by the State Controller's Office (SCO), which currently safeguards unclaimed property valued at more than $15 billion. Since 1959, this consumer protection program has ensured that businesses and other entities return property belonging to customers with whom they have lost contact. Common types of unclaimed property include forgotten bank accounts, stocks, bonds, uncashed checks, insurance benefits, and safe deposit box contents.

"My office is safeguarding more than $15 billion in unclaimed property, representing over 84 million individual properties waiting to be returned to nearly 39 million Californians. In these uncertain times, taking a few minutes to visit claimit.ca.gov could mean reconnecting you or your loved ones with money that's rightfully yours," stated Controller Cohen. "I want to thank Assemblymember Valencia for authoring HR 79 to help raise awareness about California's financial lost and found."

"Every year, California returns hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property back to their rightful owners," said Assemblymember Valencia. "As Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, I am excited to join State Controller Malia Cohen to recognize this February as Unclaimed Property Month. A quick search could put money back in your wallet."

"This resolution is about putting dollars back into people's pockets. Too often, families are unaware their money is sitting unclaimed. That's why I'm happy to join Assemblymember Avelino Valencia in raising awareness for this important program," said Speaker Robert Rivas.

Controller Cohen and Assemblymember Valencia urge all Californians to visit SCO's claimit.ca.gov website to learn more about and search for their unclaimed property