Irecently stumbled across DC’s Unclaimed Property website, which keeps track of lost money and possessions that belong to unaware residents. I’d just paid my bills, and my next paycheck hadn’t hit yet, so it came as welcome news that I was apparently owed money from a closed bank account and an old job I’d nearly forgotten about. I entered some information to claim the funds and quickly got an email asking for proof of identity. Once that was verified, DC would mail me the checks. It felt a little like printing money.

Though I’d been vaguely aware of this website, I’d never considered how it all worked. Is there a big vault somewhere with millions of dollars in forgotten funds? So I called the city’s Unclaimed Property Unit to learn more. Laws in all 50 states and the District require f

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