Pennsylvania Treasurer News

Treasurer Stacy Garrity Wants to Make Sunday’s Big Game Even More Super for Pennsylvanians with Unclaimed Property

To celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles earning a spot in Sunday’s big game, Treasurer Stacy Garrity said today that more than $35.3 million is owed to 282,595 Pennsylvanians and Philadelphia sports fans alike with a name or business name that includes the words Jalen, Hurts, Jason, Kelce, Haason, Reddick, DeVonta, Smith, Eagles, Fly, Super, or Bowl.

“I’m one of the millions of fans rooting for the Eagles to win on Sunday – and I’m also rooting for Pennsylvanians to claim property that rightfully belongs to them,” Garrity said. “One of my top priorities as Pennsylvania’s Treasurer is to help the residents of our great state score touchdown after touchdown when it comes to unclaimed property. I encourage everyone to search for unclaimed property this weekend. It can be done so fast online that you won’t even miss the commercials!”

Unclaimed property includes things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, insurance policies, tangible property like the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes, and more. State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to Treasury after three years of dormancy.

Last year, Treasury returned more than $211 million to Pennsylvanians, the most returned in a calendar year since 2018 – also the last time the Eagles brought home the Lombardi Trophy.

In total, Treasury is currently seeking the owners of more than $4 billion in unclaimed property. One in ten Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, and the average value of a claim is $1,600.

To learn more about unclaimed property or to search Treasury’s database, visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.

Media Contact:
Samantha Heckel, Press Secretary, 717-418-0206 or sheckel@patreasury.gov

Treasurer Stacy Garrity Announces Return of More Than $60,000 in Unclaimed Property to Lackawanna County

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Lackawanna County officials announced today that more than $60,000 in unclaimed property has been returned to Lackawanna County.

“It’s exciting to get this money back where it belongs – to benefit the residents of Lackawanna County,” Treasurer Garrity said. “As long as I serve as Pennsylvania’s treasurer, I will work with our team to return property to its rightful owners, no matter how long it has been unclaimed – and regardless of whether it’s valued at a few dollars or thousands of dollars. I encourage everyone to search our online database to see if they, their loved ones or their government or business entity may be owed some of the more than $4 billion in unclaimed property safeguarded by Treasury.”

“The Lackawanna County Controller’s Office appreciates the assistance of Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity and her staff in facilitating the process of returning $60,436.61 of unclaimed property back to Lackawanna County where it will now benefit county taxpayers,” Lackawanna County Controller Gary DiBileo said.

“In times like this, every dollar counts,” Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak said. “Having this unclaimed property returned to our county is great news for taxpayers, and I will work to ensure that it’s put to good use. I thank Treasurer Garrity and her team for working with Lackawanna County to get this money back where it belongs – and I encourage everyone to search and see if there’s any unclaimed property waiting for you.”

The $60,436.61 returned to Lackawanna County included 111 individual properties ranging in value from $0.01 to $21,151.89. The oldest property dates back to 1985, while the most recent is from 2019. Properties returned include accounts payable checks, claims payments checks, cashier’s checks, court deposits, and other forms of unclaimed property. How the funds are spent will be determined by county officials.

Treasurer Garrity has returned nearly $7 million to 43 local governments, including counties and municipalities, since taking office.

Treasury is working to return more than $4 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners. About one in ten Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth nearly $1,600.

Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, claims payments, accounts payable, uncashed checks, insurance policies, contents of forgotten safe deposit boxes and more. State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to Treasury after three years of dormancy.

To learn more about unclaimed property or to search Treasury’s database, visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.

Media contact:
Samantha Heckel, Press Secretary (Treasury), 717-418-0206 or sheckel@patreasury.gov

Gary DiBieleo, Controller (Lackawanna County), 570-963-6726 or dibileog@lackawannacounty.org

Treasury Announces Transition to New Unemployment Compensation Prepaid Debit Card Provider

The Pennsylvania Treasury Department today announced the beginning of a transition period to a new prepaid debit card provider for Unemployment Compensation (UC) and State Workers’ Insurance Fund (SWIF) claimants.

Claimants of both programs are strongly encouraged to verify that they have their correct mailing address on file with the Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) to ensure all mailings reach them in a timely manner. Claimants can also change their payment method to direct deposit by visiting L&I’s website.

Money Network prepaid debit cards, issued by My Banking Direct, will replace U.S. Bank ReliaCards® currently in use. Beginning on or about March 6, 2023, the Money Network prepaid debit cards will be mailed to UC/SWIF recipients who receive benefit payments via prepaid debit card.

The new card will arrive in a plain white envelope with an Omaha, Nebraska, return address. Recipients should be sure to remove the card before discarding this envelope.

Here are images of the new Money Network prepaid debit card (left) and the U.S. Bank ReliaCard® (right):

Here’s the anticipated timeline of the transition to Money Network prepaid debit cards:

• Starting February 17, 2023: New UC/SWIF claimants who request payment by prepaid debit card will be enrolled with Money Network.

• February 17, 2023, through approximately March 20, 2023: Anyone filing a claim during this timeframe will likely receive one or more benefit payments via check issued by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and mailed to the address on record with L&I.

• February 28, 2023: The last day UC/SWIF benefit payments will be loaded to ReliaCards.

• March 1, 2023, through March 23, 2023: Anyone who received benefit payments via a ReliaCard prior to March 1, 2023, will receive payments during this period via check issued by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and mailed to the address on record with L&I.

• Beginning March 6, 2023: Money Network prepaid debit cards will be sent via U.S. mail to UC/SWIF claimants who request payment by prepaid debit card.

• Beginning March 24, 2023: All UC benefit payments made via prepaid debit card will be loaded onto Money Network prepaid debit cards.

Claimants should note that any remaining balances on U.S. Bank ReliaCards® will not transfer to the new Money Network prepaid debit cards. Those with remaining funds on U.S. Bank ReliaCards® should continue to use the card until it reaches a zero ($0.00) balance. Remaining funds can also be transferred to a personal savings or checking account.

While the number of people affected by this change will vary depending on the number of claims, approximately 47,000 claimants statewide will receive Money Network prepaid debit cards by the end of March. Nearly all of those will be recipients of UC benefits; the number of SWIF benefit recipients affected by the change is estimated to be fewer than 20.

Treasury makes no determinations regarding UC and SWIF eligibility or benefit payment amounts. All questions regarding program eligibility and payment amounts should be directed to L&I.

For more information on the transition to new Money Network prepaid debit cards visit Treasury’s webpage about the transition, Treasury’s FAQ, and L&I’s UC website.

In 2022, as Treasury’s contract with U.S. Bank for the ReliaCard was coming to an end, Money Network was selected as the successful bidder to provide debit card services to the UC program following an extensive and open competitive procurement process. Money Network Financial, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiserv, headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The Money Network prepaid debit card is issued by My Banking Direct, a service of New York Community Bank.

Claimants with questions can email UCDtreasuryweb@patreasury.gov or call 877-869-1956.

Media contact:
Samantha Heckel, Press Secretary, 717-418-0206 or sheckel@patreasury.gov