What the State is holding for Columbus
The Georgia Department of Revenue is holding 10,806 records worth more than $500, $25,042,064 in all, for people and businesses whose last known address was in Columbus. The largest share, 36%, is insurance payouts, and one of the names that reports it far more often here than elsewhere in Georgia is Kinetic Federal Credit Union.
At a glance
- Records over $500
- 10,806
- Total held
- $25.0M
- Typical record (median)
- $1,006
- Largest share
- 36% 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
36% of Columbus’s records are insurance payouts, well above the 31% across Georgia.
| Kind of property | Columbus vs. all of Georgia |
|---|---|
| Insurance payouts and policy refunds | 36% vs. 31% |
| Bank accounts and bank-issued checks | 19% vs. 21% |
| Refunds, credits and deposits | 14% vs. 16% |
| Other checks and property | 13% vs. 12% |
| Paychecks and business payments | 10% vs. 14% |
| 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 Columbus, search the names of parents, grandparents and spouses who have passed away, not only your own. How unclaimed life insurance works.
Organizations that report Columbus 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 Columbus’s records is well above their share statewide. Kinetic Federal Credit Union appears 35× as often here as across Georgia.
| Reported by | Compared with Georgia |
|---|---|
| Kinetic Federal Credit Union | 35× as often (45 records) |
| Columbus Bank & Trust Company | 8.3× as often (70 records) |
| Wachovia Bank (First Union) | 6.3× as often (112 records) |
| Aflac of Columbus | 5.8× as often (74 records) |
| Synovus Bank | 5.2× as often (253 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 Columbus, that is a concrete reason to run a search.
How large the amounts are
The typical Columbus record is $1,006. 8% are worth more than $5,000, about the same as the 7% statewide.
| Amount | Columbus records |
|---|---|
| $500 to $1,000 | 5,366 |
| $1,000 to $5,000 | 4,560 |
| $5,000 to $25,000 | 779 |
| Over $25,000 | 101 |
How old the records are
47% of Columbus’s records were reported to the State in 2016 or earlier, above the 44% statewide. There is no deadline to claim them.
Older records carry older details: the name and address a company had when it reported the money. Search maiden names, earlier married names, and Columbus addresses you left years ago.
If the owner has died
Columbus sits in Muscogee 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 Columbus addresses that is the Muscogee 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.