Search for your deceased relatives unclaimed cash - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

One in four Virginians has unclaimed property at the Virginia Department of the Treasury. It can range from a watch, to a ring to a drum set and it could belong to you.

"We have over 5 million different accounts in our database," said State Treasurer Manju Ganeriwala.

In total, more than $1 billion worth of unclaimed property is stored at the department, waiting for the rightful owners to come forward.

"It can be uncashed checks, it can be bank account balances, it could be deposits, it can be insurance funds, tangible property that's turned into us from banks and from safety deposit boxes," explained Ganeriwala

For years, you've been able to log onto VaMoneySearch.org and see if you were on the list of recipients, but now you can also search on behalf of a business or a deceased relative.

"A lot of this property has been here for many years," Ganeriwala said. "So we know many of the owners may have passed away, so the property then belongs to the heirs."

NBC12's Diva of Discounts searched under her deceased grandmother's name in the database and came up with a list of claims that could be cashed in. However, only the executor of the estate can file with the treasury. So, she had her father register on the site, answer all the questions and submit the paperwork.

If his paperwork is verified and he can prove that the accounts belonged to our reporter's grandmother, he can expect more than $500.

To search for your claim go to www.VaMoneySearch.org.