|
Comptroller Lierman and agency employees will enjoy Comptroller Day at the 142nd Maryland State Fair today. Comptroller Day is a time for the Comptroller and agency employees and their families to have some fun while appreciating Maryland’s agricultural community and contributions to the state’s economy.
Comptroller Lierman will stroll the fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., making several stops, including the agency’s Unclaimed Property booth in the Exhibit Hall. The CASH Campaign of Maryland, which promotes economic advancement for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland, also will be on site.
Since 1897, the Maryland State Fair has been held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium to celebrate all facets of Maryland's agricultural bounty. The Comptroller and agency employees will have an opportunity to enjoy food, exhibits, free entertainment, concerts, amusement rides, livestock, and, of course, meeting farmers and their families. Last year, more than 588,000 people attended the fair.
Comptroller Lierman will pay a call to the Unclaimed Property fair booth, where Marylanders can check to see if they can find their name or relatives’ names among the list of unclaimed property recipients. In 2022, 380 fairgoers (out of 775 who inquired) discovered $389,955.15 in unclaimed funds. At a previous fair, one fairgoer learned that $71,516.88 was waiting to be claimed.
Staff will be on hand with computer search access to allow fairgoers to enter their names and determine if they are the owners of unclaimed funds being held by the State. Since 2007, financial institutions, insurance companies, and corporations are required to report bank accounts, contents of safe deposit boxes, wages, insurance benefits, security deposits, stock dividends, and other funds totaling more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed property.
Throughout the year, the Comptroller’s Office strives to connect the rightful owners with their property. In 2022, the Comptroller’s Office honored nearly 44,076 claims totaling more than $80 million in Fiscal Year 2022. In total, the agency has more than 1.3 million accounts worth more than $2 billion in Unclaimed Property.
|
