Springfield, IL – Illinois residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations recovered a record amount of unclaimed property during Fiscal Year 2026, with nearly $308 million returned through the state’s I-CASH program.
According to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, the agency returned $307.8 million in missing money to more than 567,000 individuals, businesses, and organizations during FY2026, surpassing the previous record of $303.8 million returned the year before.
“Our changes to I-CASH allowed us to return more money to more people,” Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in a statement. “We are proud to set records, but we’re even more proud of helping folks.”
The I-CASH program safeguards and returns unclaimed property, including forgotten bank accounts, unpaid life insurance benefits, uncashed checks, overlooked safe deposit box contents, and unused rebate cards. State law requires the Treasurer’s Office to return the property to its rightful owner or heirs, regardless of how much time has passed.
Officials credited the Enhanced Money Match program for helping drive the record totals. The initiative automatically verifies eligible claims and sends payments without requiring many residents to file paperwork. Since launching in 2018, the program has returned more than $130 million to over 870,000 people.
The new fiscal year has already started with two returns exceeding $1 million, including a $1.37 million estate claim to a suburban Cook County woman and $1.2 million in stock shares returned to heirs of a suburban Cook County family trust.
Since taking office, Frerichs said the Treasurer’s Office has returned more than $2.6 billion in missing money while modernizing the claims process through electronic filing, reduced paperwork, and expanded outreach, including a Spanish-language I-CASH website.
Illinois residents are encouraged to search for unclaimed property at icash.illinoistreasurer.gov. The Treasurer’s Office recommends checking at least twice each year, as new property is added regularly.
