claimit.ca.gov explained: what a California property record tells you

Updated November 8, 2026

claimit.ca.gov is the California State Controller's public search for unclaimed property. It draws on the same records the Controller publishes in its data files. Knowing what those records contain makes a search far more useful, especially for a business.

What a record contains

The Controller's published records carry, for each property:

• Property ID: the Controller's number for the record.
• Property type: a coded category, such as checking account, vendor check, dividend or insurance refund.
• Cash reported and current balance, and for securities, the number of shares and the security's name.
• Number of owners: more than one owner means more than one signer may be needed.
• Owner name and address, exactly as the holder reported them.
• Holder name and address: the company that reported the property.
• Claim status: whether a claim is pending or has been paid.

Why business searches miss records

The owner name is whatever the holder had on file. For a company that can mean "Inc" or "Incorporated," an old name, a DBA, a "c/o" line, an abbreviation or a typo. Our analysis found 8,636 of 20,456 business-type owners with more than one record, often under different spellings. Searching one exact name rarely finds everything. See how to search a business name.

Reading the holder name

The holder tells you where the money came from: a bank, a customer, an insurer, a transfer agent. That matters for proof. A refund from a former customer is proved with your invoices to that customer; a dividend with brokerage or transfer-agent records.

From record to payment

Finding the record is the start. A business then needs the claim form signed in wet ink (notarized at $1,000+ in cash or for any securities), proof of authority, the FEIN and proof of the address. We handle that part for 10% of what the state pays, after payment.