By 1808Delaware
The Ohio and Michigan football rivalry tends to consume everything in November. This year, the contest is landing somewhere new: Delaware County residents are being asked to help Ohio win a different kind of challenge by searching for unclaimed money that may already belong to them.
The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds has launched a monthlong competition called “Find Forgotten Funds: The Rivalry Continues.” From November 1 through November 30, Ohio and Michigan will track how many people visit their respective unclaimed funds websites and search their names. The state with the most completed searches wins the challenge.
It is a simple request. Search your name. Search a family member. Search that college roommate you lost track of. Each search counts as a point for Ohio.
Why Delaware County Matters in This Contest
Delaware County has one of the fastest growing populations in the state. More people means more chances that forgotten funds are sitting out there waiting to be claimed. Bank accounts that were closed without forwarding information. Utility security deposits. Refund checks that never reached the right address after a move.
The Division of Unclaimed Funds says millions of dollars statewide have gone unclaimed simply because people did not know the program exists. That includes funds tied to Delaware County names and addresses.
“These are people’s own dollars,” said Susie Wagner from the Division of Unclaimed Funds. “We want to connect Ohioans with money they may not realize is there.”
How Delaware County Residents Can Join the Challenge
- Visit unclaimedfunds.ohio.gov
- Type in your name
- Look through the results
If something shows up, you can file a claim right then. There is no fee and no account creation. People who have never checked before are often surprised by what they find.
For those who enjoy a challenge, try searching surnames that are common around Delaware County: Smith, Miller, Thompson, Carter, or the big one here, Wilson. Searches for friends and relatives count toward the total as long as they are completed during November.
Examples Close to Home
Delaware County has plenty of people on the go. New housing developments, job changes, and relocations around Polaris and south of Lewis Center mean addresses change often. When that happens, a check from a bank or business might go to an old address, get returned, and end up held by the state.
Also consider:
- Teenagers and young adults who held part-time jobs in high school
- People who moved to Delaware County from Columbus, Cleveland, or out of state
- Business owners who closed a checking account and never received a final refund check
Any of those situations could lead to unclaimed funds.
Keeping Score
Ohio and Michigan will count searches from November 1 through November 30. The winning state will be announced the week of December 1. If Ohio prevails, it will be because residents — including Delaware County — took a couple minutes to run searches.
Wagner puts it simply: “The more searches completed, the more money we return to the people who earned it.”
How Delaware County Can Help Ohio Win
Search your name today. Then tell someone else to do the same. Every search adds to Ohio’s total.
To start, visit unclaimedfunds.ohio.gov.
The rivalry already gets settled on the field every November. Now Delaware County residents have a chance to help settle it online too. Let’s run up the score.
