I googled escheat last night and went looking for places it could be held by the state. I came up with this web site The Office of the New York State Comptroller - Thomas P. DiNapoli - Office of Unclaimed Funds Search which is the NY state office of unclaimed funds. I followed their steps which were clearly outlined in the video they have posted and I came up with nothing for my self or for my mother. I actually did find something left owed to my grandfather, who also lived in NY his whole life and had passed on after my father, so that was interesting. They had his address, which I cross checked with some old records of his and it was exactly correct, giving credence to that site.
I then tried the same thing in the KY version of the unclaimed funds search through their treasury page, and came up with nothing for either myself or my mother. I eventually stumbled on sites like this one Unclaimed Property and Escheat Law, which has multiple sites listed at the bottom for finding money, with which I could not even find the money the official NY state site said was left to my grandfather nor anything left to myself or my mother in either NY or KY.
Is it possible that it has not been left to the state yet and could still be in control of a bank/financial institution?
This is exactly what I have come to think over the last couple of days. Also it would seem that this company has to have a certain dollar range for the people that they contact, as if someone was owed even $25,000+ it would be asinine to pay 25% of that or any larger figures really. I would imagine $10,000 is around their average, or they just hope people are dumb.
And yes, literally any way to collect the money with out having to pay more than ~$2,500 would be a more reasoned approach of course.
