What the State is holding for Athens
The Georgia Department of Revenue is holding 5,729 records worth more than $500, $11,605,240 in all, for people and businesses whose last known address was in Athens. The largest share, 34%, is insurance payouts, and one of the names that reports it far more often here than elsewhere in Georgia is Clarke County Superior Court.
At a glance
- Records over $500
- 5,729
- Total held
- $11.6M
- Typical record (median)
- $986
- Largest share
- 34% insurance payouts
Every figure here counts records over $500, the band that takes an actual claim. At or below $500, Georgia’s Money Match program returns much cash property automatically. Who qualifies for Money Match.
What kind of money it is
34% of Athens’s records are insurance payouts, above the 31% across Georgia.
| Kind of property | Athens vs. all of Georgia |
|---|---|
| Insurance payouts and policy refunds | 34% vs. 31% |
| Bank accounts and bank-issued checks | 19% vs. 21% |
| Paychecks and business payments | 15% vs. 14% |
| Refunds, credits and deposits | 13% vs. 16% |
| Other checks and property | 11% vs. 12% |
| Stock, dividends and fund shares | 8% vs. 7% |
Insurance payouts are usually listed under the name of the policyholder or the person who died, not the beneficiary. So in Athens, search the names of parents, grandparents and spouses who have passed away, not only your own. How unclaimed life insurance works.
Organizations that report Athens money more than the rest of Georgia
National insurers and banks report money in every Georgia city. These are the organizations that are distinctly local: their share of Athens’s records is well above their share statewide. Clarke County Superior Court appears 70× as often here as across Georgia.
| Reported by | Compared with Georgia |
|---|---|
| Clarke County Superior Court | 70× as often (24 records) |
| First American Bank & Trust Co… | 67× as often (27 records) |
| University of Georgia | 47× as often (134 records) |
| Athens Regional Medical Center | 35× as often (24 records) |
| Aramark | 9.9× as often (20 records) |
If you worked, banked, studied, got care, held a policy, or paid a tax or court fee with one of them while living in Athens, that is a concrete reason to run a search.
How large the amounts are
The typical Athens record is $986. 7% are worth more than $5,000, about the same as the 7% statewide.
| Amount | Athens records |
|---|---|
| $500 to $1,000 | 3,071 |
| $1,000 to $5,000 | 2,285 |
| $5,000 to $25,000 | 340 |
| Over $25,000 | 33 |
How old the records are
43% of Athens’s records were reported to the State in 2016 or earlier, about the same as the 44% statewide. There is no deadline to claim them.
Some of it has waited more than a decade, listed under whatever name and address the company had then. Search earlier names and old Athens addresses, not only how you are listed today.
If the owner has died
Athens sits in Clarke County. When property belongs to someone who has died, the State asks for estate papers from the probate court in the county where they lived; for most Athens addresses that is the Clarke County Probate Court. Mailing addresses can cross county lines, so go by where the person actually lived.
If the State is holding $7,500 or less for the estate, heirs can usually claim with a sworn statement signed by all of them instead of a court order. Who can claim for a relative, and what the State asks for.
How to search, free
Search the State’s official site at gaclaims.unclaimedproperty.com or call the Georgia DOR at (855) 329-9863. Claiming directly with the State is always free. You can also search the same records here; we rebuild them from the State’s file every week.