State Escheator and Office of Unclaimed Property Director Brenda Mayrack this week announced that Delaware’s Office of Unclaimed Property will be moving its website to unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov. By federal policy, U.S. government-related domain names (“.gov”) are only available to official governmental organizations in the United States. Originally launched in October of 2015, delaware.findyourunclaimedproperty.com has provided the public with easy access to the state’s searchable unclaimed property database, and allowed visitors to submit and check claim status online. The basic website and all of its functionality will remain the same, and visitors to the old address will be automatically redirected to unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov in the short term.

“Given the high number of unclaimed property scams we see across the country, we want to increase confidence among owners trying to recover property held here in Delaware,” said Director Mayrack. “With the new domain, users will be able to immediately recognize that they are using an official state website.”

Additionally, the site now offers enhanced property searching. Potential claimants may perform their own searches online anytime, or they may submit a request for an enhanced search to be completed by Delaware’s Unclaimed Property staff.

Unclaimed Property holders, which include banks, insurance companies and other business entities, should note that they must now file all reports via the website – the Office of Unclaimed Property no longer accepts filings on paper or other digital media. Holders (inclusive of most business entities, except banking organizations and insurance companies) who must comply with the state’s approaching March 1, 2019 spring reporting deadline should note the new website to ensure timely filing of their reports. All holders must report by uploading a National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA)-compliant file or by using the Manual Online Reporting option. Manual Online Reporting allows holders with only a few properties to enter the property and report details online, and avoid the expense of creating a NAUPA-compliant file. For technical assistance with reporting, please see the Updated Holder Reporting guidelines available online, or contact Delaware’s Holder Reporting Unit at: escheat.holderquestions@delaware.gov or 302-577-8782, option #2.

David Gregor has been appointed the new Director of Revenue for the State of Delaware, effective Monday, January 9, 2017.  Mr. Gregor has been with the Department of Finance for more than 29 years, most recently serving as the Deputy Secretary of Finance – a position he’s held since August of 2010. He has been responsible for policy development, financial analysis, as well as public affairs and communications for the department; including, but not limited to, tax, debt and infrastructure investment policies, and the management of the annual revenue stream in excess of $2.8 billion.

Mr. Gregor’s significant contributions the Department of Finance include providing analytic and strategic support to the Secretary – including public review of the State’s revenue system covering portfolio risks and economic competitiveness, producing recommendations that formed the basis for legislation that contained the most significant corporate income tax amendments in decades. He was responsible for modernizing the State’s primary economic development tax credit program in order to provide larger and better targeted incentives – at zero cost to the State. He has led the Division of Revenue through a thorough review of personal income tax processing methods, and ultimately reduced refund processing times by 30%. He also facilitated the efforts of tax administrators, industry executives and elected officials in the amendment of gross receipts tax, which led to the reopening of a shuttered refinery and the restoration of 800 jobs.

Since August 2013, Mr. Gregor has simultaneously served as State Escheator, managing all aspects of Unclaimed Property – the state’s third largest revenue source, with a staff of more than 20 employees and on-site contractors responsible for the administration of a $500 million revenue source. He led the team in a fourfold increase in claims paid, and the annual return of $100 million in assets to the property owners. He championed the implementation of a state of the art unclaimed property system enhancing internal controls, processing efficiencies, operational reporting and web-based functionality for owners and holders. This has resulted in a fivefold increase in claims submissions, and allowed for online filing of annual holder reports.

He has led or participated in the preparation of the State’s General Fund revenue forecast, and functioned as a tax policy analyst. Mr. Gregor previously managed the Bureau of Business Tax Systems, overseeing a staff of 20 responsible for processing and reconciling business license, gross receipts and withholding tax payments. He established performance measures for the new withholding computer system and identified causes of processing delays and managed the elimination of a multi-year backlog resulting in over $1 million in assessments He has also served as Executive Assistance to the Secretary of Finance with responsibility for a $35 million budget covering three operating divisions and department-wide information technology capital plan, and contributed to the development of statewide financial policies, including legged payroll, collection and write-off practices, and proper use of surplus state funds.

“David has a deep commitment to delivering efficient and effective services to Delaware’s taxpayers,” said Finance Secretary Tom Cook. “With his experience in finance, and his outstanding management skills, I am confident he can guide the Division of Revenue to new and even higher standards.”

Statewide, DE – On Friday, October 30, 2015 the Delaware Department of Finance will officially launch delaware.findyourunclaimedproperty.com. The new website will provide the public easy access to the state’s unclaimed property database. It will allow users to search by name to find information regarding any unclaimed property they may have in Delaware. The website also allows visitors to submit and check claim status online.

“The new website is certainly a welcome and timely development,” remarked Governor Jack Markell. “We have a duty to return unclaimed funds to rightful owners and the website allows us to reunite owners with their funds with greater efficiency and customer focus.”

Unclaimed property can include forgotten savings and checking accounts, un-cashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends, and utility deposits and refunds. Most of these accounts are considered abandoned, and have been turned over to the state after years of inactivity.

With the introduction of new processing systems, the number of successful claims in Delaware has increased dramatically. Since July of 2013, the Department has processed over 22,000 claims – successfully reuniting citizens with more than $225 million in previously unclaimed funds.

“Delaware continues to seek new and innovative ways to reach unclaimed property owners,” says State Escheator, David Gregor. “Whether it’s a $50 deposit from a closed utility account, or $5,000 from a forgotten savings account, it’s your money – and it’s our job to get it back to you. We hope this new website will make that process even easier.”

In addition to launching delaware.findyourunclaimedproperty.com, the Department will publish the names and addresses of approximately 147,000 owners of unclaimed property in Friday’s editions of the Delaware State News and the News Journal. For more information, email escheat.claimquestions@delaware.gov, or call the Office of Unclaimed Property at (855) 505-7520.

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Leslie A. Poland
Public Information Officer
Department of Finance
Delaware Division of Revenue
(302) 577-8522
leslie.poland@delaware.gov

DE – Statewide (July 28, 2014) – Delaware’s State Escheator David Gregor warns today that postcards stamped “Unclaimed Property Notification” are suspicious and should be ignored. They have not been sent from Delaware’s Unclaimed Property department or by any other State of Delaware agency.

The postcards, which have been distributed in multiple states so far, instruct receivers to call a toll-free number and enter personal identification information. A recorded message instructs receivers to search for unclaimed property at www.unclaimed.org.

“Delaware has not sent these cards nor have they been sent on Delaware’s behalf,” Gregor said. “We would never ask an individual to provide personal information to a call-in number, and we would recommend anyone who receives these cards to remain cautious and to not respond in any way.”

The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) and unclaimed property administrators from other states report that they too have received numerous consumer complaints about the suspicious postcards, which are postmarked from Denver, Colo., and appear to have been sent by a debt collector. They have shown up in a variety of solid colors – green, blue, yellow, and orange.

Delaware’s Department of Finance received its first inquiry about the postcards this morning, but expects more to follow in the next few weeks.

As always, anyone who believes they may have had unclaimed property escheated to the State of Delaware should search http://finance.delaware.gov/unclaimedproperty.shtml or call 302-577-8220.

Images of the front and back of actual postcard:

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Media contact:

Angela Moffett-Batty
Community Relations Coordinator
Delaware Department of Finance
302-577-8522
angela.moffett@delaware.gov

In just over eight months, the Department of Finance’s Office of Unclaimed Property has reunited more individuals with their unclaimed property during Fiscal Year 2014 than it did in all of Fiscal Year 2013. 

As of March 6, 2014, the Office of Unclaimed Property has reviewed and fulfilled more than 9,700 claims for unclaimed cash and securities having a total value of $83.0 million.  This compares to Fiscal 2013’s full-year total of 3,047 claims valued at $19.2 million. 

Such growth is due to the State’s improved customer focus and its concentrated effort to increase owner outreach.  In addition to posting owner names online and in newspapers – as it does every year – the State mailed over 150,000 letters during the spring of 2013 informing individuals of their unclaimed assets in Delaware. 

The State also has the business community and the companies holding property and stock to thank for their continued assistance in finding, contacting, and reuniting individuals to unclaimed funds. 

“We are thrilled by the increase,” commented State Escheator, David Gregor.  “Whenever possible, the idea is to reunite individuals with their property.  We view companies and their agents as our partners in this endeavor.  Because these holders understand Delaware’s commitment to compliance, they take their outreach efforts seriously.”

Individuals are encouraged to visit the Unclaimed Property website to see if they may be entitled to recover property:  http://finance.delaware.gov/unclaimedproperty.shtml.

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Contact:

Angela Moffett-Batty
Community Relations Coordinator
Delaware Department of Finance
302-577-8522
angela.moffett@delaware.gov