Experts estimate that one in eight Americans has unclaimed property or cash being held in state treasuries, and more than $20 billion is waiting to be discovered by citizens. Thanks to a new service on the state's official Web site (www.TennesseeAnytime.org), Tennessee is making it even easier to see if citizens and businesses have unclaimed property in the state's possession, officials said.
The Tennessee unclaimed property service lets users search for property and prepare a claim over the Internet. The site currently lists more than a million dollars in unclaimed property items. Since launching in December 2002, the service has logged more than 47,000 searches for unclaimed property.
The unclaimed property site is the result of a partnership between the Tennessee Treasurer's Office and TennesseeAnytime, the official state Web site that is managed by eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).
Tennessee's online unclaimed property database offers a user-friendly search engine and is updated monthly. Once the service delivers a search match, users can initiate an online claim with the Tennessee Treasurer's Office. The application will display back to the user what information should be provided to the Treasurer's Office in order to complete the claim - usually a proof of address, or copies of a driver license or death certificate.
The Unclaimed Property Division administers the Tennessee Unclaimed Property Fund. The division is responsible for tracking and maintaining funds that have been reported as unclaimed. Dormant checking and savings accounts, uncashed money orders, contents of unclaimed safe deposit boxes, unclaimed wages, bank accounts, securities, and other assets are among the items that are listed in the Tennessee Unclaimed Property Fund.
"Reuniting citizens with their lost assets is yet another way that Tennessee is using the Internet to serve its constituents," said Debra Luling, general manager of TennesseeAnytime. "We will continue to build online solutions that offer better customer service to the citizens and businesses of Tennessee."
The unclaimed property service was developed by TennesseeAnytime, which manages the official Tennessee state portal and works with multiple state agencies through its contract with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration to bring government services online.
About TennesseeAnytime
TennesseeAnytime built, markets, operates, and maintains the official Web site for Tennessee (www.TennesseeAnytime.org). Ranked as the nation's best government Web site this year by the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University, Tennessee's official government portal is consistently recognized among the leading state Web portals. TennesseeAnytime is a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC.
About NIC
NIC (www.nicusa.com) delivers more online government solutions than any provider in the world. The company is helping transform the relationship between government and the communities it serves by providing convenient eGovernment services that make life easier for businesses and citizens. Through partnership at all levels of government, NIC manages transactions for over 1,400 state and local agencies that serve more than 67 million people in the United States.