BYTE MARKS
You could be on state's treasure list

By Burt Lum

It's like getting a Christmas present in the middle of the year. This happened to me recently in a totally nontech sort of way.

One day, my brother tells me that he heard from his brother-in-law that my name was on a list of unclaimed property, issued by the state of Hawai'i. Hearing this third-hand, I was at first a little skeptical.

No one really likes to hear that their name is on some list.

With homeland security these days, there is enough Big Brother paranoia going around to last a lifetime. I'm just glad it was a list for unclaimed property and not some FBI list.

But I digress.

The first thing I ask is "Where is this list? Can I get a copy?" My brother tells me it was on the Internet and gives me this link: www.hawaii.gov/budget/uncprop/uncprop.htm. It's the state's site on unclaimed property.

Apparently there is a requirement for holders of abandoned property to report it to the state in November of each year.

I've seen this service covered in the media, so this is nothing new.

It does take on a new dimension when you can directly benefit.

After reading through the general information, I try the search feature and come up empty-handed. My enthusiasm is slightly diminished.

Reading through the forms required to claim your property is discouraging.

But my hope is restored when I find the pdf file entitled Legal Notice of Names of Persons Appearing to be Owners of Abandoned Property. Lo and behold, there's my name along with a thousand other names.

Your name might be on this list also, so it's worth checking out. Alongside your name will be a number. That corresponds to the holder or organization holding your claim.

The process from here was easy. All I needed to do was contact the holder and confirm my identity. In less than a week I was reunited with my unclaimed property.

In my case it was a check I misplaced and never cashed. It may be the same for you. ;-)

Burt Lum is one click away at www.roughtake.com.