New ways of helping people

The Comptroller's Office has expanded one of its most popular pro-
grams, helping Marylanders find unclaimed funds, by joining a national
database service on the World Wide Web that offers individuals and busi-
nesses a free online search of unclaimed accounts totaling $14 billion.

Visitors to www.missingmoney.com can find out for free if they have
money in 24 states, including Maryland. The site, which is endorsed by
the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, includes
records of 4.5 million accounts. The comptroller's Web site at www.mary-
landtaxes.com also lists more than 40,000 recently reported names of
unclaimed property owners in Maryland.

Newspaper ads, exhibits at fairs and conventions, and other outreach
efforts helped more than 7,500 people find almost $12 million in unclaimed
funds in fiscal year 2000.

PARTNERSHIPS USE BRANCH OFFICES

Taking advantage of 20 offices throughout Maryland, Comptrol-
ler Schaefer has forged partnerships with two other state agencies, the
Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) and the Maryland Attor-
ney General's Office, to bring information and services closer to the
people of Maryland.

Under the new arrangement, a MIA representative will be available
once a month at 17 of the offices to help citizens who want to file a com-
plaint against an insurance company, ask questions about policies, receive
educational materials and publications, or report suspected insurance fraud.

Through the partnership with the Attorney General's Office, citizens
can pick up consumer complaint forms or literature on consumer issues
at any of the comptroller's branch offices. People can file complaint forms
with the Attorney General's Office, or personnel at the branch offices
can file for them.

Serving the People

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