You may be among the 33,000 people who have money or monetary property in New Brunswick waiting to be claimed.
That is the message the Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick (the Commission) is sharing to mark Unclaimed Property Day on February 1. The Commission, which operates New Brunswick’s Unclaimed Property Program, is reminding New Brunswickers to search today to be reunited with money or monetary property that is rightfully theirs.
“It’s simple to do,” said Marissa Sollows, the Commission’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs. “Just visit FundsFinderNB.ca, select Search and enter your name. You may find you have money or monetary property you have forgotten about or never knew was yours.”
February 1 is Unclaimed Property Day, which was developed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) as an initiative to help raise awareness for and reunite consumers with unclaimed property. As a member of NAUPA, the Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick is using the occasion to raise awareness of the program.
To date, 463 people have been reunited with more than $2.1 million in money or monetary property, like money and funds forgotten in credit union accounts, uncashed cheques, investment accounts, security deposits and more.
More than $33 million is waiting to be claimed.
As of January 15, the claimable amount reported by New Brunswick county was:
| County | Number of Unique Owners | Total Claimable Property |
|---|---|---|
| Albert | 1,041 | $1,238,155.02 |
| Carleton | 721 | $1,429,351.19 |
| Charlotte | 680 | $870,895.12 |
| Gloucester | 1,623 | $2,045,111.92 |
| Kent | 573 | $743,496.67 |
| Kings | 2,247 | $2,200,524.10 |
| Madawaska | 547 | $777,317.35 |
| Northumberland | 1,178 | $1,070,705.46 |
| Queens | 283 | $386,896.63 |
| Restigouche | 785 | $583,805.75 |
| Saint John | 3,797 | $3,795,811.79 |
| Sunbury | 963 | $624,998.32 |
| Victoria | 489 | $557,117.38 |
| Westmorland | 7,448 | $6,664,779.42 |
| York | 7,013 | $4,779,793.58 |
“For those who searched before and were unsuccessful, search again,” Sollows said. “Every year, more money becomes unclaimed, resulting in more being reported to the program.”
Businesses and other organizations holding unclaimed funds have an annual obligation to reach out to owners of unclaimed funds, and if the owner does not respond, the property must be reported to the program through FundsFinderNB.ca. Each year, the reporting period runs from January 1 until March 31.
Money and monetary property are generally considered to be unclaimed when there has been no activity on the property for at least three years, or 10 years for credit union accounts.
“More money and monetary property will be reported every year as awareness of the program grows,” Sollows said. “So make it a habit to check FundsFinderNB.ca.”
Recently, New Brunswick’s database of claimable properties was linked to NAUPA’s unclaimed property site at MissingMoney.com. MissingMoney.com lists unclaimed properties across multiple states and provinces with unclaimed property programs. New Brunswickers can search this site to find properties that they may have in other jurisdictions along with New Brunswick.
“Now New Brunswickers can search for unclaimed property across multiple states and provinces with the click of a button,” Sollows said.
Audio files of Marissa Sollows, the Commission’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Media Contact:
1 866 933-2222 or media@fcnb.ca.
The Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick has the mandate to provide regulatory services that protect the public interest while enhancing public confidence, and to promote understanding of the regulated sectors through educational programs. It is responsible for the administration and enforcement of financial and consumers services legislation for mortgage brokers, payday lenders, real estate, securities, insurance, pensions, credit unions, trust and loan companies, cooperatives, the unclaimed property program, and a wide range of other consumer legislation. It is a Crown corporation funded by the regulatory fees and assessments paid by the regulated sectors. Online educational tools and resources are available at www.fcnb.ca.