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RALEIGH – The office of North Carolina State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell is currently holding approximately $919 million in unclaimed cash, and nearly $6 million is earmarked for individuals and entities in the Roanoke-Chowan area.

The good news is that if your name is on Folwell’s list, the process of claiming that cash is simple.

During a recent visit to the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Folwell explained that his office is responsible for the safekeeping of unclaimed property. That includes uncashed checks, forgotten bank accounts, utility deposits, life insurance policies, stocks, bonds, and other funds that have been abandoned and no owner can be found.

“Someone may have tried to mail you or your readers a check and they either didn’t receive it or got it and then didn’t cash it,” Folwell explained. “Once all avenues are taken and unsuccessful in locating the rightful recipient of that money, it comes to my office.

“That money just isn’t for private citizens, but also for local governments, such as the counties and municipalities here in your local area, as well as for churches, civic organizations and the like,” he added.

According to Folwell’s office, there are approximately 100,000 claims worth nearly $6 million just in the Roanoke-Chowan area alone. A county-by-county breakdown is as follows:

Bertie: 33,176 claims totaling $1,510,099.38

Gates: 18,026 claims ($795,952.07)

Hertford: 30,365 claims ($1,898,462.75)

Northampton: 26,383 claims ($1,567,587.42)

Statewide, over $70 million in unclaimed property was returned during the past fiscal year.

To see if you or your organization has unclaimed cash in the State Treasurer’s coffers, visit www.nccash.com and follow the directions.

Claims are processed in the order they are received. Normal processing time is approximately 90 days. However, due to the unusually high volume of claims the Office of the State Treasurer is receiving, current processing time may be greater than 90 days.

Once your claim is assigned to a processor, they will contact you if any additional information or documents are needed. You will be notified via email if/when your claim is approved for payment. You may check the progress of your claim by clicking on the “Claim Status” block.