State Treasurer John Perdue’s office will begin statewide distribution of its spring unclaimed property bulletin March 30. Distributions continue April 6 and April 13.

The office distributes bulletins twice a year that typically contain about 13,000 never-published names of rightful property owners. Bulletins are inserted into the largest publications in each county. Some are directly mailed to homes.

“We’ve experienced great success in the past with the bulletins and look forward to more with this one,” Perdue said. “Word of mouth has always proven valuable with the bulletins. Folks love to tell someone else of good fortune.”

Unclaimed property is any asset, excluding real estate, from which a rightful owner has become separated. Examples are forgotten utility deposits, a final paycheck and abandoned safe deposit box contents.

If you see your name listed or someone tells you about it,don’t be afraid to file a claim for the assets. This can done by filling out the attached paper claim form in the insert or filing an electronic claim at www.wvtreasury.com. Click on Unclaimed Property, then Search and Claim.

An unclaimed property search function is also displayed prominently on the website front. To reach a staff member by phone, call 1-800-642-8687.

Treasurer Perdue’s office has returned approximately $168 million to rightful owners since taking office in January of 1997, including $13.9 million in fiscal 2016.

Look for the unclaimed property bulletin in the Clay County Free Press next month.