Commissioner Stewart Says Aetna Letter Is Legitimate

DOVER, DE –Several consumers have recently contacted the Consumer Services Division of the Department of Insurance regarding a letter they received in the mail from “Aetna, Treasury Services – Unclaimed Property”. The letter states that the consumer may be owed unclaimed funds from Coventry Health Care of Delaware, which was acquired by Aetna in 2013. The letter requires a response before Aetna makes any payment.

Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announced today that Aetna has confirmed the legitimacy of the letter, which has been sent to more than 1,900 former members of Coventry.

“Some recipients thought the letter seemed suspicious, especially those who had never been insured by Aetna in the past,” said Stewart. “Scammers are using increasingly deceptive methods to steal people’s personal and banking information, so consumers have a right to be leery about mailings that claim they are owed money. However, I can assure these former Coventry customers that the 1,900-plus letters are authentic.”

Because the letter was sent out in late March and requires a response be made within 45 days, the Department urges recipients to read it carefully and reply in a timely fashion.

If you believe you have received such a letter and have questions or concerns, please contact the Delaware Department of Insurance at 1-800-282-8611.

###

Contact: Jerry Grant | 302-674-7303 | jerry.grant@delaware.gov

www.delawareinsurance.gov | Dept. of Insuance Phone: 302-674-7300

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.

###
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:

###

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.

# # #

Contact:

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

As part of Delaware’s new unclaimed property voluntary disclosure agreement (VDA) program signed into law by Governor Jack Markell in July, the Delaware Secretary of State, Jeffrey W. Bullock, launched a new website today designed to make it easier for Delaware registered companies to come into compliance with their past due unclaimed and abandoned property obligations. The new website, www.DelawareVDA.com, describes who is eligible for the program and how Delaware companies can participate. It also provides companies with the program’s implementing guidelines and has a detailed “How it Works” section explaining the restructured voluntary compliance process.

The new unclaimed property voluntary compliance program will be administered through the Secretary of State’s Office and offers Delaware registered business entities a unique, but narrow-window to come into compliance with Delaware’s unclaimed property laws. Instead of a multi-year audit, the program is designed so that companies can receive a full release of all past due unclaimed property liability in nine months. In addition, for companies who enroll before June 30, 2013, the program will examine the books and records of companies only back to 1996, instead of 1981.

Companies who successfully participate in the new VDA program receive a release of all past due unclaimed property liability for all prior report years. In return, companies agree to continue to fulfill their ongoing responsibility to report and remit annually their Delaware abandoned or unclaimed property.

“After listening to the concerns of many of our corporate constituents, Governor Markell and our legislature created a new, more business-friendly voluntary compliance program where companies can ‘catch up’ on their past due unclaimed property obligations, avoid an audit, avoid interest and penalties, and significantly reduce their liability, all at the same time,” said Secretary Bullock. “We are creating a program that is reliable and cost-effective, and with this new web-site, we are trying to make it as easy as possible for companies to comply.”

Under current law, companies domiciled, or with related entities domiciled, in Delaware are required to report and remit unaddressed or foreign-addressed abandoned and unclaimed property annually to the state. Historically, Delaware has enforced its right to collect this property through audits performed by the Delaware Division of Revenue. Because there is no statute of limitations on a company’s legal obligation to report and remit past due unclaimed property, these audits examined the books and records of a company beginning in 1981, and could also have included significant statutory penalties and interest.

To take advantage of the full benefits of the program, interested companies must enroll by June 30, 2013. All companies enrolling after that but before June 30, 2014 will be allowed to enroll in the program but will have a longer review period back to 1993. Pursuant to the legislation, no companies may enroll in the new voluntary compliance program after June 30, 2014.

To enroll, go to www.DelawareVDA.com to begin Step One of the compliance program’s process.