Great Iowa Treasure Hunters "Destined" to Attend Clay County Fair

• by State of Iowa Treasurer's Office

DES MOINES, IA (08/29/2008)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald announced today that a trip to the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt booth may pay off big for some lucky fairgoers at this year's Clay County Fair. More than 665,000 names are on this year's list of Iowans who may have treasure waiting to be claimed. "The Clay County Fair is a tremendous opportunity for us to reunite people with their lost treasurers," Fitzgerald stated.

Each year millions of dollars in unclaimed property is turned over to the state treasurer's office. "Our goal is to return as much of the property to the rightful owners as possible," Fitzgerald said. "In our efforts we publish the names and send first class letters to the last known address. In addition, we set up booths at various fairs around the state."

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt will be hosting a booth at the Clay County Fair in the Varied Industries Building. The building will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on September 6^th through September 13^th and from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on September 14^th. Treasure Hunt staff members will be there to assist treasure hunters print claim forms on the spot and answer questions. Fairgoers can also browse through two computers.

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $94 million to more than 280,000 people since Fitzgerald created it in 1983. The money in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt could be from forgotten or inactive savings/checking accounts, utility refunds or deposits, uncashed insurance benefits checks, lost stock and dividends or abandoned safe deposit box contents. When persons do not respond over an extended period of time through regular mailings from banks and corporations, the money is reported to the state treasure's office.

For more information about the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, please visit www.greatiowatreasurehunt.com or contact the office via email at foundit@iowa.gov. Treasure hunters may also write to State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald, Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319.