The dormancy period in Maryland for unclaimed property holders is three years.
While we encourage all holders of unclaimed property to file their reports electronically, we will accept paper reports if there are 25 accounts or less. As a holder, you must report any individual accounts valued at $100 or more. Accounts of less than $100 may be reported together in one aggregate amount.
Unclaimed Property Detail Sheet
You should list the individual items of unclaimed property on the Unclaimed Property Detail Sheet (Form COT/ST 919), and mail the completed Detail Sheet with your Maryland Unclaimed Property Report (Form COT/ST 918). Be sure to enter your Maryland Holder Number on each form. If you don't know your Maryland Holder Number, contact the Unclaimed Property Section at 410-767-1700 from the Baltimore area, 1-800-782-7383 from elsewhere in Maryland or by e-mail at upholder@comp.state.md.us.
You must include the following unclaimed items in your annual report:
- Cashiers checks, certified checks, traveler's checks, money orders.
- Funds and articles in safe deposit boxes.
- Undelivered or unpresented checks.
- Stocks, dividends, annuities.
- Fiduciary funds, endowments, vendor checks.
- Deposits, security deposits, court deposits, utility deposits.
- Dissolution funds, escrow funds.
- Wages, savings accounts, checking accounts, customer credit balances.
- You do not need to report gift certificates, purchase price rebates or property from vendor-to-vendor transactions.
Completing the Detail Sheet
When completing the Detail Sheet, list every item valued at $100 or more and report non-cash items separately. Group the Items by category or property type, in alphabetical order by last name within each category. You should report the following information:
- Last name, full first name, and full middle name of the owner, if available. Be sure to include after the middle name any information which would aid in identification (such as Jr., Miss, Mrs., etc.)
- Corporate title (exactly as it was adopted; omit the word "The.")
- Complete last known address, including ZIP Code.
- Dollar value of the account.
- Owner's Social Security number or federal Identification number.
- Owner's account number from your records.
- If a single item has two or more owners, report the name and address of each owner, and note the relationship (such as "trustee for", "or", "and", etc.).
- When reporting certified cashier's checks, specify the name and address of the remitter and the payee. In the case of money orders and travelers checks, only the identification number is required.
- If your records do not show an owner name for any item, report the total aggregate amount of the property on your Unclaimed Property Report. Items less than $100 should also be included in the aggregate.
Verification
- Partnership: verification of the report should be executed by a partner.
Unincorporated association or private corporation: verification should be executed by an officer.
Public corporation: verification should be executed by the chief financial officer.
Filing extensions
Extensions for filing reports must be submitted in writing and are granted on a case-by-case basis. The requests may be e-mailed; faxed or mailed to the Unclaimed Property Unit, using the following information:
E-mail: UPHOLDER@comp.state.md.us
Fax: 410-333-7150
Mail: Unclaimed Property Unit
Comptroller of Maryland
301 West Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Attn: Marcia Brannock, Holder Compliance Supervisor
Holders must send notice to owners
All holders of property subject to the abandoned property law are required to send a written notice by first-class mail to the apparent owner at the owner's last known address. In the notice, the property holder must inform the owner that the holder is in possession of property subject to the abandoned property law and that the property will be considered abandoned unless the owner responds within 30 days of the notification.
The holder must send the notice not more than 120 days or less than 30 days before filing the required report with the Comptroller's Office.
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