Pack Returns Thousands In Unclaimed Funds In Ohio County
Trending
West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack had pleasant surprises in hand for a well-established Northern Panhandle organization and an Ohio County municipality.
Pack was in Ohio County on Tuesday to drop off thousands of dollars in unclaimed funds to both the Regional Economic Development Partnership and the Village of Bethlehem. RED’s check came to $6,941, while Bethlehem’s came to $10,262.04.
“Anytime you can get a phone call from the state treasurer saying they have funds for you, that’s fantastic,” said RED President and CEO Josh Jefferson.
Jefferson said he wasn’t sure where those unclaimed funds came from, that they could be years old. Bethlehem Mayor Matthew Saseen said his village’s check came via an accumulation of funds that had just gone unclaimed over time.
“In the grand scheme of things, that’s a lot of money for us,” Saseen said of Bethlehem’s five-figure windfall. “We’re a small village that runs on a tight budget.”
Pack said these presentations are a way to build awareness for West Virginia residents to collect unclaimed funds. Totals can be both big and small, he said.
“We returned $700,000 this year to a young widow whose husband had an insurance policy she didn’t know about,” he said. “And I had a friend of mine in Greenbrier County who sent me a picture of the $10 check he got. It’s $10, but he was glad to have it.”
Pack said that, in the Northern Panhandle, there is a greater chance of gas or coal royalty checks getting lost, so it behooves folks to check the West Virginia Treasury’s website, wvtreasury.gov.
As for their newly found funds, Jefferson said RED’s money likely will go into its general fund. Saseen said he’ll take the money to council, where they will decide where to use it.
“I’m very excited to go to council, present the check to them … put the money to work and put it back into the community where it can directly affect the residents.”