I am a non-American citizen, living outside US.
I had an account with Citibank in Miami, Florida. The account was used
to receive my salaries, when I worked for an American company (I have
the paychecks to prove it, if needed).
Because the account was dormant for a long time, the money was
considered unclaimed property.
I contacted Citibank, they told me that: 1) they tried to contact me
about the matter, but got no reply (I found out that they indeed sent
me mail to an old address, that I didnīt read until too late); 2)
according to US legislation, the money was sent to the Treasury of the
State of Florida; 3) my account with Citi was closed around July/Aug
2003.
I tried to search the website of the Treasury here:
http://up.dbf.state.fl.us/ , but I couldnīt find any info about me; I
tried all the variations on my name, address, etc. I called the staff,
but they couldnīt help me either (it looks that all they did was to
search the same database which is online).
My questions are about the process to find and recover the money.
I already know where the money should be, I have the info about the
account (I mean, I have the info which comes printed on Citibank
statements), and of course I have all my personal info; so, itīs not
the case of hunting the money (which would be much more complicated, I
think).
Questions:
1) is it possible, with the info I have, to exactly locate the money?
I mean, is it possible to get a confirmation from the Treasury that
there is a property on my behalf under their guard? Or is it possible
to be sure that there is NOT such property?
If the information I have (as described above) is not enough, what
other pieces of information would I need? If I go in person to the
office, would it make things easier (do they serve the public
directly)?
I think that a phone call to the right person in the Treasury could
answer the question (a call by someone who knows the matter).
2) Once (and if) the money is found, whatīs the better way to recover it?
2.1)I have read about companies like http://www.gokeane.com, but they
charge too much, and they do so because they have to hunt the money
(which is not my case). Is there any company/office which could handle
this for me? I am thinking about an office which would get my
authorization to represent me before the Treasury, recover the money
and send it to me.
2.2)Would it be easier for me to go in person to Florida? By easier, I
mean: could I solve the matter in a few days, without the assistance
of lawyers, accountants, etc? Or are matters so complicated that itīs
better to pay for assistance?
2.3) Is there any other alternative ways to solve my problem?
Thanks for any help. |
