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Guide Investigator Handbook
Guide Investigator Handbook
Unclaimed Property
Investigator Handbook
October 2018
Table of Contents
Investigator Guidelines 7
Heir Finder/Investigator Representation 7
Notifications to Investigators 9
Appendix A 33
Legacy Property Type Codes 34
NAUPA Property Type Codes 35
NAUPA Relationship Codes 37
State Codes 38
County Codes 39
Appendix B 40
Standard Investigator Agreement—Abandoned Property 41
Standard Investigator Agreement/Contract Attachment 42
Claim for Abandoned Property 43
Declaration Under Probate Code Section 13101 45
Table of Heirship 46
Request For Final Decree of Distribution 48
Standard Investigator Agreement - Estates 49
Claim For Estate of Deceased Person 50
This handbook has been prepared to assist investigators in locating and reuniting owners or
their heirs with unclaimed property.
Abandoned Property
The statutes and regulations governing the administration of the Unclaimed Property Law
related to abandoned property are provided in the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP), Sections
1500 - 1582, and in the California Code of Regulations, Administrative Code, Title 2, Division
2, Chapter 2, Subchapter 8, Articles 1 - 5.
Holders of abandoned property are required to remit such property to the SCO when the
holder has had no contact with the owner for a set period of time as provided by law. The
property owner may have forgotten about the property or, in some instances, may never have
known of its existence. The property is held in perpetuity by the SCO, and there is no deadline
for the rightful owner to file a claim.
After the SCO has held estates of deceased persons’ properties for a period of five
years, it forwards a list of the estates to the Office of the Attorney General. The
Attorney General publishes the decedents’ names and the decedents’ named heirs in a
newspaper of general circulation in the counties where the estates were probated. After
publication of the names, the Attorney General consults with the SCO to identify any
estates where a valid claim has been established against the estate. If no claim activity
has been made on an estate, the Attorney General obtains a permanent escheat court
order. Five years from the date of the court order, the estate is permanently escheated
by operation of law and all future claims are barred. Estate properties in the amount of
$1,000 or greater with named heirs are subject to claim for a period of 10 years after
the estate is remitted to the SCO.
Five years from the date the SCO receives the estate property, the SCO publishes a
legal notice in a newspaper of general circulation in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and
Sacramento. Additionally, a list of estates, including named heirs that are subject to
permanent escheat is on display in the offices of the State Controller in Sacramento
and Los Angeles, and in the California State Library- Sutro in San Francisco. Five
years from the newspaper publication date, these estates are permanently escheated
by operation of law and all future claims are barred. Thus, estate properties under
$1,000 with named heirs are subject to claim for a period of 10 years after the estate
is remitted to the SCO.
Infants must have been born prior to the end of the permanent escheat
period and must be 19 years of age or younger when the claim is
presented for payment.
Persons of unsound mind must file their claims within one year after their
respective disabilities cease.
Investigator Guidelines
Copies of photo identification for all employees (i.e., driver license, passport, or
other photo identification card).
A copy of a document showing the Social Security number to be used for claim
payment or a document showing the tax identification number for your business.
A list of all telephone, cellular, and facsimile numbers used by your business.
An investigator/heir finder may not enter into contract with potential owners of abandoned
property until (a) the abandoned property has been in the SCO’s possession for at least 12
months or (b) the SCO causes a notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation,
pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) Section 1582, which states, in part:
“...records of the State Controller's Office pertaining to unclaimed property are not
available for public inspection or copying until after publication of notice of the property
or, if publication of notice of the property is not required, until one year after delivery of
the property to the State Controller’s Office.”
The SCO, generally, shall cause a notice to be published pursuant to this section close to June
of each year, which is the time period that most remit abandoned property reports are due from
holders. You may call our office a month before this time period to obtain the exact date of
publication. Information on estates of deceased persons is not subject to this time restriction.
Be advised that investigators and heir finders may not represent themselves as
employees or representatives of the SCO. Heir finder or investigator contracts are
business transactions that exist solely between the heir finder/investigator and his or
her client(s). Please refer to the Business and Professions Code Section 17533.6 (a),
which states:
Notifications to Investigators
All notifications to Investigators/Heirfinders will only be made via our electronic mail notification
service. To subscribe to our electronic mail service, please go to our website at:
www.sco.ca.gov/upd_investigator_notice.html. All notices will also be posted at this website.
The SCO Web site, at http://www.claimit.ca.gov, provides a wealth of important information on
California’s Unclaimed Property Program. An informational box labeled “Info for Investigators” with
links relevant to Investigators is available on the Web site at
http://www.claimit.ca.gov/upd_msg.html
Internet
Abandoned Property Records
Abandoned Property records are maintained by the Unclaimed Property Division of the
SCO. The most current information for abandoned property records can be accessed via
the SCO Web site at http://www.claimit.ca.gov in the “Online Claim Services” box. The
Web site is updated weekly to remove properties that have been claimed and also to add
new properties remitted to the SCO.
Unclaimed Property records in the Controller’s public database can also be downloaded in
.CSV format via the main Unclaimed Property landing page at
https://www.sco.ca.gov/upd_msg.html by selecting the link labeled Download Unclaimed
Property Records. The records can be sorted as permitted by the database program being
utilized (Excel, Google, etc.). Some of the files are very large and a broadband connection
is highly recommended. The files will be updated on a weekly basis. The Controller’s team
does not provide technical support.
The estates of deceased persons electronic file (Microsoft Excel format) lists all estate properties
in the system, including ones previously paid and/or escheated. Please note: The status of these
properties, once published is subject to change at any time, without further notice. Please contact
the SCO to verify availability of Estate funds prior to any client activity.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1cd6acf9-ce06-4e1c-8dcf-
f33f669dbc3a&displaylang=en
Estates File
The Estates File contains four tabs: Estates File, Decedent Index, Heir Index, and Price
Index. Note: If sorting an index, care should be taken to sort all fields (columns) together,
so as not to disconnect relevant records (rows).
Estates File Tab - contains all relevant property information in an easy to view
format; it is shown in ascending order of when the property was received [newer
properties at the bottom] (this is achieved using the combination of the ‘received
date,’ the Property ID with an ‘E’, and finally the longer, solely numeric Property ID
number). This tab SHOULD NOT BE SORTED; doing so will break the
relationship between the property and any additional decedent aliases, heirs
and/or escheat comments. “Search” these records using the Find option (Ctrl + F)
Decedent Index Tab - can be used to sort by any of the criteria attached to the
property that is associated with the decedent, such as name, received date,
probate number (where available), probate date (if present), probate amount,
current balance, aliases (if any), and county.
Heir Index Tab - can be used to search information related to any known heirs:
name and/or entitled amount (current property balance is also shown).
Price Index Tab- convenient way to view the county, property balance, and
Property ID Number.
If the property has been reported to the SCO and publication of the property has not yet
occurred, any contract entered into with an investigator and potential owner(s) is null and void.
Similarly, if the property has been reported to the SCO and publication has occurred in the
manner provided in Section 1531 of the Code of Civil Procedure, regardless of whether the
property is still being held by a business or government agency, the contract is subject to the
ten percent limitation.
Investigator Fees
The fees investigators may charge to cover the costs of their efforts to reunite owners
with unclaimed property are set forth in Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) Section 1582,
which states:
“No agreement to locate, deliver, recover, or assist in the recovery of property reported under
Section 1530, entered into between the date a report is filed under subdivision (d) of Section 1530
and the date of publication of notice under Section 1531 is valid. Such an agreement made after
publication of notices is valid if the fee or compensation agreed upon is not in excess of ten
percent (10%) of the recoverable property and the agreement is in writing and signed by the
owner after disclosure in the agreement of the nature and value of the property and the name and
address of the person or entity in possession of the property. Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prevent an owner from asserting, at any time, that any agreement to locate property
is based upon an excessive or unjust consideration.
Not withstanding any other provision of law, records of the State Controller's Office pertaining to
unclaimed property are not available for public inspection or copying until after publication of
notice of the property or, if publication of notice of the property is not required, until one year after
delivery of the property to the State Controller’s Office.”
Agreement Provisions
All investigator agreements submitted must be in compliance with CCP Section 1582.
The SCO must review all investigator agreements to ensure compliance with the
statute. To facilitate claim processing, the SCO recommends the use of the Standard
Investigator Agreement. An original agreement created by an investigator and an
attorney must contain all of the essential elements of the Standard Investigator
Agreement. It is advisable to have a new investigator agreement reviewed by the SCO
before submitting it with a claim package.
Per CCP Section 1582, an investigator is required to provide full disclosure of the
unclaimed property in the contract information. Full disclosure includes:
1. Owner name as reported by the holder;
When one claim package includes claims for multiple properties, full disclosure is
required for each property. The Standard Investigator Agreement-Contract Attachment
in Appendix B of this handbook provides for the reporting of the disclosure information.
Standardized/Non-Standardized Agreements
Investigator agreements submitted on the SCO standardized agreement form are
preferred. A claim package submitted with a non-standardized agreement may delay
the evaluation process because of the extra staff time required to analyze the
agreement for compliance with CCP Section 1582. Agreements that do not comply with
the law will be rejected.
Power of Attorney
Powers of Attorney (POA) may not be accepted in lieu of a claimant’s signature on the
claim form or investigator agreement. The claim must be verified by the claimant per
CCP Section 1540(a). Exceptions may be considered in cases where a POA is
necessitated by a medical condition that prevents the claimant from signing the claim
form. In such a case, the claim is referred to our legal office for determination. All claim
packages signed by a POA that do not contain medical verification signed by a licensed
physician will be denied without consideration.
Claim Package
A claim package is a group of documents submitted to the SCO to validate a request for
payment of unclaimed property.
1. The claim package shall include a properly executed Investigator Agreement,
signed and dated by the investigator and each claimant. Notarization of this
agreement is not required.
2. The claim package shall include a completed Claim for Abandoned Property for
each claimant; this form is located in Appendix B of this handbook. The form should
be duplicated onto yellow paper to ensure that investigator claims can be easily
identified by the SCO upon receipt. Use of the forms provided helps expedite the
claim process.
a. The claimant must sign and date the claim form and the claimant’s signature
must be notarized if the total value of the cash properties is $1,000 or more.
All claims for securities and safe-deposit box properties must also be
notarized.
3. A document to verify the claimant’s current address is required.
4. A document that shows proof of the claimant's SSN/tax identification number must
be provided with the claim package. Non-residents of the United States of America
may submit a Temporary SSN, an IRS Form W8 BEN, or an Individual Taxpayer
Identification Number (ITIN) in lieu of SSN/Tax Identification Number.
5. A claim package that does not contain all documents needed to validate the claim
may be returned to the investigator with a letter describing the additional
documentation needed. Please review the filing instructions before submitting a
claim. The documentation needed will vary based on the type of property being
claimed and the relationship of the claimant to the reported owner of the property.
Once a claim package is received, the property is removed from our Web site while
the claim is being processed.
Please select from one of the links below to view and print the filing instructions and
documentation needed to substantiate your claim. (http://www.claimit.ca.gov in the
“Info for Investigators” box, under “Investigators Handbook & Forms”)
Account statement
Bank passbook
Original bond
Original debenture
Account Statement
If the original certificate is not available, then the SCO may allow other documentation,
such as verification of occupancy at the registered address, proof of purchase, or a
cancelled dividend check. The SCO may require a lost instrument bond from the
claimant when this documentation is unavailable.
California’s Unclaimed Property Law (CCP Section 1563), requires the SCO to sell
securities no sooner than 18 months, but no later than 20 months, after the final date
for filing the report required by CCP Section 1530. If a claimant’s securities have been
sold, the law no longer provides for interest to be paid on any claims.
Note: The SCO is not authorized to buy back the claimant’s shares, nor make up the
difference in sale proceeds in the event that the market value of the stock increased
between the date it was sold and the date of the claim.
• Insurance policy
• Insurance statement
Escrow Accounts
The buyer/seller closing statement is required. If the statement is not available, then
the claimant is required to show proof of residence or occupancy at the address shown
on the property as reported to the SCO. However, if the unclaimed property account
shows both buyer and seller, the claimant must establish their legal entitlement to the
escrow deposit and disputed escrow funds. To prove entitlement, the claimant must
submit documentation from the escrow or title company that specifies the distribution of
the escrow funds or court documentation indicating rightful ownership to the funds.
• Account statement
If the statement is not available, then proof of residence or occupancy at the address
shown on the property account is required. If proof of residence is not available or if the
reporting agency did not report an account owner’s last known address, then evidence
must be submitted proving an association with the reporting agency.
California’s Unclaimed Property Law requires the State Controller’s Office to sell the
contents of safe-deposit boxes if the contents appear to have monetary value.
However, no sale shall be made pursuant to this subdivision until 18 months after the
final date for filing the report required by CCP Section 1530. Cash received or proceeds
from the sale are used to satisfy any bank liens. Remaining proceeds are credited to
the owner’s account until a claim is presented. The law does not provide for interest to
be paid on any claims. In the event that the contents of a safe-deposit box are not sold
and a claim is presented, the State Controller’s Office, upon proof of ownership, returns
the property by insured/registered mail after the claimant pays any liens on the safe-
deposit box.
If lien amounts are owed to the bank at the time of escheatment, that information is
reported to the State Controller's Office. Liens are paid to the bank 1) when cash is
found in the box, 2) with proceeds from the sale of safe-deposit box contents, or 3) by
the claimant when ownership has been verified.
W-2 form
Non-English Documents
If the document submitted to substantiate the claim is not in English, then the entire
document must be translated to English, and the translated document must be
submitted along with the non-English document.
If competing claim packages are submitted by different claimants and contain conflicting
information, then those claim packages may be submitted to our Legal Office for
determination. Our Legal Office will determine which party, if any, is the rightful owner of the
property. Documentation submitted by each party is treated confidentially.
Claim Status
The SCO shall consider a claim package within 180 days of receipt of all documentation that
substantiates the claim. The claim package documents are reviewed for compliance with the
Unclaimed Property Laws and to the documentation provided must substantiate the claim in
order to be paid. The following statuses are assigned to each claim package during the claim
process:
Received
The claim package has been received.
Approved
The claim package has been approved and is pending payment.
Paid
The claim has been paid.
Dropped (Closed)
The claim package has a deficiency in one or more of the following areas:
Claim Form – The claim form is incomplete or is not signed and notarized.
Denied
The SCO notifies the investigator in writing if the documentation submitted indicates that:
The person claiming the property is not the correct owner/heir of the property;
A claim against this property is already in process. This may be a duplicate claim by the
claimant or one filed by another individual; or,
Payment of Claims
Investigator claims are paid according to the procedures below. Exceptions may be considered in
extenuating circumstances, but only upon the written request by the claimant.
1. The payments are recorded against the claimant’s Social Security or tax identification
number.
3. Investigator fees must be agreed upon by the claimant and the investigator prior to
submitting the claim and may not exceed a maximum ten percent (10%) of the value of
the claim.
4. The SCO pays claims submitted by investigator and heir finders companies as follows:
a. In cases where the wording in the Investigator Agreement specifically assigns
to the investigator/heir finder a percentage of the payment, we will mail two
warrants for each claim. One warrant, made payable to the claimant, will be
mailed directly to the claimant for his or her agreed-upon percentage; and a
second warrant, made payable to the investigator/heir finder, will be mailed
directly to the investigator/heir finder for his or her agreed-upon percentage.
An example of wording in an Agreement that would allow for two warrants to
be mailed is: “Claimant assigns to the Investigator a percentage not to
exceed 10% of the net assets which the Claimant in fact recovers.”
At the time the claim is approved, a letter will be mailed to the claimant
informing them that even though they will be receiving the payment
directly, they are not relieved of any contractual obligation they may have
with the investigator/heir finder with whom they signed a contract. We will
also send the investigator/heir finder a copy of this letter.
d. The contents of a safe deposit box will be mailed directly to the claimant.
Only one claimant may be designated to receive the contents of the box.
Note to Investigators: Please advise your client to contact the agency listed on their letter if
they have any questions. The SCO only has general information regarding the offset and is not
made aware of the offset until it occurs.
Payment of investigator fees is the responsibility of the claimant. The SCO monitors the
fees that investigators charge.
Standardized/Non-Standardized Agreements
Investigator agreements submitted on the Standardized Investigator Agreement are
recommended. An agreement submitted on a non-standardized form requires
additional processing time to ensure that the agreement conforms to laws governing
the payment of estates of deceased persons. An agreement that does not conform to
the law is rejected.
Heirs of the named heir of an estate may also claim estates valued at less than $60,000 on the
Claim for Estate of Deceased Person without a court action. However, when the estate is
valued at $60,000 or more, the heirs of the named heirs must file a petition under CCP Section
1355. In addition, if the decedent died before June 8, 1982, then the petition must include a
stipulation for the deduction of any inheritance tax due.
At least 20 days before the hearing of the petition, the claimant must send a copy of the
petition and notice of hearing to the SCO. Please include a claim package with the petition and
notice of hearing. (Please refer to CCP Section 1355 for documentation required.)
Claim Package
A claim package is a group of documents submitted to validate a request for payment of an
estate of a deceased person. All claim packages are processed on a first-in first-out basis, as
received by the SCO.
To expedite the claim process, please provide the following documentation with the claim
package:
2. A Claim for Estate of Deceased Person signed by the claimant and notarized. The
investigator must also sign the claim form. Notarization of the investigator’s
signature is not required.
3. All documents marked with an “X” by the SCO in Section A of the claim form. The
SCO recommends that you contact our office before submitting the claim package
so that the SCO can advise you of the documentation required, based on the
particulars of the estate. In addition, the SCO will send you the claim form on blue
paper so that upon its return, it is directed to the appropriate staff for processing.
4. A birth, death, or marriage certificate of the decedent, named heir, or both that
proves the claimant is the heir to the decedent’s estate if the claimant is not a
named heir of the estate.
6. A document that proves the Social Security number or tax identification number of
the claimant.
7. The Final Decree of Distribution for the decedent’s estate, if the SCO does not
already have this document.
Additional documents may be required if the documentation provided does not prove the blood
relation of the claimant to the estate’s decedent. Additional documents that may be required
include a Table of Heirship; a Declaration under Probate Code Section 13101; other birth,
marriage, or death certificates of blood relatives; census reports; genealogy charts; and/or an
Application for Social Security Account Number (SS-5).
The claim form is incomplete or not signed and notarized where required;
The person claiming the property is not entitled to the property or the
documentation provided does not clearly prove the relationship of the claimant to
the estate’s decedent. In this case, the entire claim package is returned to the
investigator;
Payment of Claims
Investigator claims are paid according to the procedures below. Exceptions may be considered
in extenuating circumstances, but only upon the written request by the claimant.
1. The payments are recorded against the claimant’s Social Security or tax
identification number.
3. The amount of the investigator’s fee must be agreed upon by the claimant and the
investigator prior to the submission of the claim.
5. The SCO pays claims submitted by investigator/heir finder companies by one of two
methods:
For inquiries on claims containing securities, please allow up to 180 days from the approved
date shown online as staff must research and apply any corporate actions, such as dividends or
mergers, initiated by the company, which affect the value of the securities. In most cases, this
process can be completed within 90 days. If the securities have not been sold, they will be sent
in the form of shares and information will be mailed to the claimant regarding how the securities
will be transferred into the claimant’s name.
If, however the securities have been sold, we will return the proceeds from the sale along with
any dividends issued prior to the sale. Please be advised that the SCO is required, by state
law, to sell securities between 18 and 20 months after the due date for reporting the property to
the state.
If the claim contained cash property, a separate check for the cash property will be mailed
within 60 days of the approval date shown online.
Note to Investigators: Please advise your client to contact the agency listed on their letter if
they have any questions. The SCO only has general information regarding the offset and is not
made aware of the offset until it occurs.
Appendix A
State Codes
Initial State Initial State
AL Alabama MT Montana
AK Alaska NC North Carolina
AR Arkansas ND North Dakota
AZ Arizona NE Nebraska
CA California NH New Hampshire
CO Colorado NJ New Jersey
CT Connecticut NM New Mexico
DC District of Columbia NV Nevada
DE Delaware NY New York
FL Florida OH Ohio
GA Georgia OK Oklahoma
HI Hawaii OR Oregon
IA Iowa PA Pennsylvania
ID Idaho RI Rhode Island
IL Illinois SC South Carolina
IN Indiana SD South Dakota
KS Kansas TN Tennessee
KY Kentucky TX Texas
LA Louisiana UT Utah
MA Massachusetts VA Virginia
ME Maine VT Vermont
MD Maryland WA Washington
MI Michigan WI Wisconsin
MN Minnesota WV West Virginia
MO Missouri WY Wyoming
MS Mississippi
County Codes
Code County Code County Code County
3
0 21 Marin 42 Santa Barbara
1 Alameda 22 Mariposa 43 Santa Clara
2 Alpine 23 Mendocino 44 Santa Cruz
3 Amador 24 Merced 45 Shasta
4 Butte 25 Modoc 46 Sierra
5 Calaveras 26 Mono 47 Siskiyou
6 Colusa 27 Monterey 48 Solano
7 Contra Costa 28 Napa 49 Sonoma
8 Del Norte 29 Nevada 50 Stanislaus
9 El Dorado 30 Orange 51 Sutter
10 Fresno 31 Placer 52 Tehama
11 Glenn 32 Plumas 53 Trinity
12 Humboldt 33 Riverside 54 Tulare
13 Imperial 34 Sacramento 55 Tuolumne
14 Inyo 35 San Benito 56 Ventura
15 Kern 36 San Bernardino 57 Yolo
16 Kings 37 San Diego 58 Yuba
4
17 Lake 38 San Francisco 98
5
18 Lassen 39 San Joaquin 99
19 Los Angeles 40 San Luis Obispo
20 Madera 41 San Mateo
3
Usually indicates an aggregate account with no identified owners, which cannot be claimed without exact documentation to claim a portion of
the account.
4
Indicates the account owner is a well-known entity.
5
Indicates the account is less than $ 50.
Appendix B
(2) PRINT CURRENT LEGAL FIRST NAME MIDDLE CURRENT LEGAL LAST NAME DAYTIME PHONE
( )
(1) PRINT CURRENT LEGAL FIRST NAME MIDDLE CURRENT LEGAL LAST NAME DAYTIME PHONE
( )
DO NOT SIGN CLAIM FORM UNLESS A DESCRIPTION OF ACCOUNT IS SHOWN IN SECTION I OR IS ATTACHED TO FORM.
CLAIMANT’S SIGNATURE: SSN:
CLAIMANT’S SIGNATURE: SSN:
TABLE OF HEIRSHIP
Deceased Owner Name: Deceased Date:
LIST ALL KNOWN RELATIVES
Enter “None” in any section for which there is no known relative.
(If you need additional space, attach a second Table of Heirship
Property ID:
identifying all missing relatives for all appropriate sections.)
Date of
Section 1 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST
Marriage Birth Death
1
Deceased Owner’s
2
Spouse(s)
3
Parent’s Name
Section 2 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST (FROM SECTION 1)
Birth Death
1
2
3
Deceased Owner’s 4
Children 5
6
7
8
Parent’s Name
Section 3 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST (FROM SECTION 2)
Birth Death
1
2
3
Deceased Owner’s 4
Grandchildren 5
6
7
8
Section 4 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST Birth Death
Deceased Father:
Owner’s Parents Mother:
Section 5 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST Birth Death
1
2
Deceased Owner’s
3
Brothers and Sisters
4
5
Parent’s Name
Section 6 FIRST MIDDLE (MAIDEN) LAST (FROM SECTION 5)
Birth Death
1
Children of Deceased
2
Owner’s Brothers and
3
Sisters
4
I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of California, that all statements contained in this Table of Heirship and any
accompanying documents are true and correct, with full knowledge that all statements made in the Table of Heirship are subject to investigation
and that any false or dishonest statement may be grounds for denial of the claim submitted.
TABLE OF HEIRSHIP
INSTRUCTIONS
Deceased Owner Name Enter the name of the deceased person whose property you are claiming.
Deceased Date Enter the date the deceased property owner died.
Property ID Enter the Property ID found on the claim details page printed with your claim form.
To ensure you receive the funds to which you are entitled, enter the requested information for yourself and all of the deceased
property owner’s known relatives, both living and dead. In addition, provide a copy of all pages of the certified death certifi-
cate for all deceased relatives listed in all Sections above your name to whom you are directly related (such as, your grand-
mother/grandfather, mother/father, and/or son/daughter).
Include in this section all of the deceased property owner’s current or former spouses. Enter one
Section 1
spouse per line (living or dead). If the deceased owner never married, enter “None.”
Name Enter the spouse’s first, middle, (maiden name, if applicable) and last name.
Date of Marriage Enter the spouse’s date of marriage to the deceased property owner.
Date of Birth Enter the spouse’s date of birth.
Date of Death If the spouse is deceased, enter the spouse’s date of death.
Include in this section all of the deceased property owner’s children. Enter one child per line
Section 2
(living or dead). If the deceased owner did not have any children, enter “None.”
Name Enter the child’s first, middle, (maiden name, if applicable) and last name.
Parent’s Name
Enter the first name of the child’s parent, as listed in Section 1.
(FROM SECTION 1)
From: (Investigator)
Please send us a certified copy of the Final Decree of Distribution for the estate named above.
Enclosed is our check for $ to cover the cost of the Final Decree.
If the decedent’s estate was not probated, please mark the box below with an “X” and have an authorized officer
of the court execute and return this form.
Sincerely,
(Investigator)
To the best of my knowledge, the above named estate was not probated in the County of
II. Investigator, through his/her efforts, has located Claimant, who may be entitled to the assets in the possession of
the State Controller of California, 10600 White Rock Road, Suite 141, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (Mailing Address: P.O.
Box 942850-5873) as described below:
NAME OF ESTATE:
PROBATE NUMBER: COUNTY OF PROBATE:
AMOUNT: CONTROLLER’S ACCOUNT NUMBER
III. Investigator and Claimant do hereby agree that in consideration of Investigator's efforts in locating Claimant and
assisting in the actual recovery of the above-described assets to which Claimant may be entitled, Claimant assigns to the
Investigator % of the net assets that Claimant in fact recovers. Claimant agrees that the investigator fee will be
paid upon payment of the claim.
IV. Investigator and Claimant agree that in the event Claimant is not entitled to assets described above and such
assets are not recovered, there is no obligation on either party to the other, all expenses being borne by Investigator.
State of , County of
Signature (seal)
PRIVACY NOTIFICATION
The Information Practices Act of 1977 and the Federal Privacy Act required this Bureau to inform you that your
Social Security number and other documents are requested for property identification and processing of your claim.
You have the right to view your records at this office by writing :
Division Chief Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 942850, Sacramento, CA 94250-5873