"Just get it notarized. It will tell you step-by-step on the back," said Geiger.
Tony Geiger is with the Mississippi State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division. He's helping people find their money at a booth during the state fair. Tony Johnson of Sontag, found some, from a bank account his father had that dates back 20 years and more.
"Yeah, I just typed in my dad's name and we found a few hits on it. It looks like close to $400 total," said Johnson.
The state treasurer's office reports about one in five Mississippians have unclaimed assets that include forgotten bank accounts, security deposits and insurance policies. When companies can't find the owners, they have to turn the money over to the treasurer's office. Geiger's job is to get it back to the rightful owners. But people don't have to wait for the fair to come back next year. The website is constantly updated.
"We're really pushing the website, treasurerlynnfitch.com and we want people to always be going and checking the website," said Geiger.
That's treasurerlynnfitch.com. Geiger says the stories of finding money for people are endless. A homeless man recovered $14,000. Another man had 25,000 shares of stock worth $150,000. Dwight Pugh works with Geiger. He was helping a woman who began to cry.
"And she said 'oh my God, I found $1,000. You don't understand my husband is a veteran. We're having trouble getting his benefits. We just need this money just to live,' " said Pugh.
Geiger says they've returned $44 million dollars, which puts money back into the state's economy. People can also call the office for help at: (601) 359-3600.
