Digging for Buried Treasure in Westchester’s Own Backyard

In Westchester County, there are billions of dollars hiding in plain sight. This untapped wealth belongs to local residents and businesses, long forgotten in unused bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks, bonds, and more.

A new county-led initiative is on a mission to uncover this hidden treasure and return funds to their rightful owners.

While $16 billion in unclaimed funds sits in state coffers overall, Westchester stakeholders are owed over $272 million. “Most people don’t realize they may be entitled to claim money they don’t even know exists,” said County Legislator Catherine Parker, who spearheaded the outreach campaign.

The unclaimed funds portal allows anyone to search at no cost and start the simple process of claiming what’s theirs.

At community events across Westchester, financial specialists help guide people through the process of searching the state database for their name and other information. The odds of finding funds are high, given the sizable amounts owed locally.

“Our goal is to put this money back into the community where it can make a real difference in people’s lives,” Legislator Parker said.

County Executive George Latimer echoed the call to action: “This is your hard-earned money. We want Westchester residents and business owners to get what they have coming to them.”

While government bureaucracy can seem imposing, this initiative takes a customer service approach to ensure locals receive the funds they deserve. The process of claiming money is designed to be accessible for all.

As Parker noted, “Unclaimed funds events remind us that government should serve the people. This campaign makes it easy to get back what's rightfully yours.”

With billions at stake statewide and millions owed locally, buried treasure may be hiding in your own backyard. Westchester’s unclaimed funds outreach is uncovering wealth and brightening futures, one rediscovered dollar at a time.