Suffolk seeks and gets a refund

By Rick Brand

As featured in Newsday on 5/22/07

Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki last month did the same thing 300,000 New Yorkers do each year - ask the state comptroller to check whether the state was holding on to unclaimed funds that should be returned.

In response, new Democratic State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli visited Hauppauge yesterday to hand Sawicki, a Republican, and County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat, an oversized check for $180,654. Local officials said the county could be in line for an additional $282,000 of the more than $8 billion in unclaimed funds held by the state.

Sawicki credited auditor Deborah Bollinger and a news story about unclaimed funds last month for spurring his office to request that DiNapoli review unclaimed money that might be owed Suffolk.

"Their aggressiveness in seeking refunds is a dividend for the taxpayer," Levy said of the efforts by both the state and county comptrollers for their effort.

Suffolk 's request, DiNapoli said, prompted his office to begin a review of all unclaimed money that could be returned to the state's 62 county governments. He said his office also made a $1,600 return to Nassau recently. Aides said Nassau's check was smaller because it has periodically checked for unclaimed funds, but most counties, like Suffolk, have not.

"It's always nice to get out of the office to see friends," said DiNapoli. It's even nicer, he added, "for government to deliver money rather than take it from someone's pocket."

Officials said the checks came from 840 accounts held by the state that in some cases date back more than 25 years. Officials did not have a detailed breakdown, but indicated that among the checks were unpaid utility deposits, insurance refunds, dividends, court funds and uncashed checks.

In all, the state takes control of $541 million in unclaimed funds annually and about 32 percent was claimed by rightful owners for payouts of $168.5 million in the past year. The largest unclaimed amount currently is $1.7 million.

Sawicki and his aides said much of the $281,000 still outstanding comes from certified checks where the county is a co-payee that have not been cashed. The county must determine whether the cost of recouping the money - getting banks involved to sign waivers - is less expensive than the amount of the refunds. State officials say that 31 percent of the claims are for amounts less than $50, 58 percent for amounts less than $100.

DiNapoli said taxpayers can inquire themselves about unclaimed money by visiting www.ocs.state.ny.us or by calling 800-221-9311, adding that there is no reason to hire private services that often charge up to 15 percent of recovered fund. "We do it just as fast," said DiNapoli.Suffolk's request, [Thomas DiNapoli] said, prompted his office to begin a review of all unclaimed money that could be returned to the state's 62 county governments. He said his office also made a $1,600 return to Nassau recently. Aides said Nassau's check was smaller because it has periodically checked for unclaimed funds, but most counties, like Suffolk, have not.

"It's always nice to get out of the office to see friends," said DiNapoli. It's even nicer, he added, "for government to deliver money rather than take it from someone's pocket."

DiNapoli said taxpayers can inquire themselves about unclaimed money by visiting www.ocs.state.ny.us or by calling 800-221-9311, adding that there is no reason to hire private services that often charge up to 15 percent of recovered fund. "We do it just as fast," said DiNapoli.