Dormant business bank accounts and CDs

Updated

Balances in checking, savings and money market accounts, and certificates of deposit that matured without instructions, are reported when the bank loses contact with the account holder.

$129.8Mheld for business-type owners owed $10,000+
3,525such owners have some of this property
3,446have $10,000 or more of it alone
$19,244median amount per owner

How it ends up with the state

A second operating account left open after a move, an account at a bank that merged into another, a CD that matured after the person who opened it left the company.

When the holder cannot reach the owner for the period set by law, it reports the property to the California State Controller, along with the owner's name and last known address. The Controller then holds it until the owner claims it.

The Controller's categories

Property-type codes in this group, by amount
CategoryAmount
Checking accounts$69.1M
Savings accounts$28.6M
Matured CDs$20.4M
Checking accounts (older code)$6.8M
Savings accts/crdt union shrs$2.0M

What helps prove the claim

Old statements or account documents, and proof of the address the bank had on file. On top of that, every business claim needs the signer's photo ID, proof of authority to act for the business and proof of its FEIN. See the document checklist.

How we help

We search every name and address your business has used, match the records, assemble the papers and file. Our fee is 10% of what the state pays, after it pays.

Source: California State Controller unclaimed property file, records of $500 and up, dated November 4, 2026. Open records only (no claim pending or paid), owner address in California, owner = name + ZIP code, business-type names only, government names removed, owners whose records total $10,000 or more. RecoverOwed computation; classifying owners by name pattern is approximate. No individual owner is named on this site. Amounts here count only this kind of property for owners whose total across all kinds is $10,000 or more.

Common questions

The bank merged into another bank. Does that matter?

The record shows the reporting bank. We match it to your company's old accounts and addresses.

Sources

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