(Des Moines) State Treasurer Roby Smith announced Wednesday the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt has officially surpassed $450 million returned to current and former Iowans since the program began.
Great Iowa Treasure Hunt is Iowa’s only legitimate source for unclaimed property. Unclaimed property can include forgotten checking and savings accounts, uncashed checks, utility refunds, stocks, life insurance proceeds, contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes and more. The Treasurer’s Office safeguards the property until it can be reunited with its rightful owner or heir.
The milestone follows a record-breaking fiscal year for Great Iowa Treasure Hunt. In fiscal year 2026, the program returned a record $38.2 million to rightful owners and heirs. In addition, the program paid an all-time record of 53,194 claims during the year, 8,302 more than the previous fiscal year.
Smith has also focused on modernizing the process of returning unclaimed property. In 2026, the State Treasurer launched Money Match, an initiative that allows certain qualifying properties to be automatically returned to their owners without requiring a claim to be filed.
Not all properties qualify for Money Match, so Iowans should continue searching Great Iowa Treasure Hunt regularly. Smith encourages Iowans to search their name, previous names, previous addresses, businesses and family members at GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.
