USVI Public Records

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Please contact the Division of Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation on St. Croix 1131 King Street, Suite 101, 3rd Floor Christiansted, V.I. 00820 Tel: (340) 773-6459 Fax: (340) 719-3801 or St. Thomas 5049 Kongens Gade St. Thomas, V.I. 00802 Tel: (340) 774-7166 Fax: (340) 774-9458 Business Hours 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday Visit our website regularly to learn about Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation services in the Territory. Website: ltg.gov.vi To obtain unclaimed property information for earlier years, contact the Division of Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation. What is the process for filing a claim? To claim property electronically, property owners will be required to fill out a secure form online (including name, social security number, birthdate, and address). Depending on the complexity of your claim, additional supporting documents may be re- quired to verify proof of ownership or authority to file a claim, e.g., power of attorney, court doc- uments, etc. Do note that persons seeking to file unclaimed property claim(s) can do so at any time. There is no statute of limitation to file a valid claim. First, you must show that the account belonged to the original owner (minimum proof of claim). Second, you must prove that you are the rightful recipient of the funds, and you are legally enti- tled to claim these funds for the owner, for ex- ample if the owner is incapacitated or deceased. If the owner is incapacitated, the Division will require documentation such as a Durable Power of Attorney or court documents which shows guardianship or custodial relationship. If the original owner is deceased, the Division will require that you contact the Probate Court in the State where the owner lived at the time of death. You must obtain documentation from the Probate Court that grants you the right to obtain these funds. First, always provide a clear copy of your photo I.D. This may include a driver’s license, pass- port, voter registration or other state-issued ID. The ID must be valid (unexpired) and include a signature. Scan QR Code with your phone ‘s camera. Once a link appears, click on link to the Search Database Unclaimed property consists of money or other finan- cial assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a specified period of time. This includes checking and savings accounts, cer- tificates of deposit accounts, customer deposits and over payments, payroll (unpaid wages), stocks and bonds, insurance proceeds, death benefits, money orders, gift certificates and security deposits. How does property become unclaimed? Title 28, Chapter 29 of the Virgin Islands Code, the Virgin Islands Uniform Un- claimed Property Act, states that accounts become unclaimed when, over a specified period of time, there has been no ac- tivity, and the holder of the funds cannot locate the owner. The time frame varies depending on the property but in most cases, it is three to five years. One exception is payroll checks, which are only held for one year. The funds are then turned over to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Divi- sion of Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation, which acts as custodian of the funds until they can be returned to the rightful owner. Unclaimed property does not include real estate. “Holder” means a person obligated to hold for the account of, or deliver or pay to, the owner property that is subject to this chap- ter. A holder can be a private business enterprise, public corpo- ration, financial institution, non-profit organization and all other entities that maintain account balances, write checks, or hold funds in escrow for another person or persons. The “Administrator” is the Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands. This law exists to: • protect the property rights of the absentee own- er and to locate the owner/heirs; • provide a service to the citizens of the Virgin Islands by offering centralized repository for unclaimed property; and • provide the holders relief from liability. A holder may deduct from property presumed abandoned a charge only if there is a valid and enforceable written contract between holder and owner. Unclaimed property is deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury of the Virgin Islands. To expedite the claim process, at least $100,000 is held in a separate trust fund by the administrator to pay claims. The report must be filed before November 1 of each year for all financial institutions except life insurance companies, which are required to be filed before May 1 of each year. Claimants can access the online database through the Claims Website by visiting https:// usviclaims.unclaimedproperty.com. Claimants will no longer need to mail in or visit the office to submit claim forms. Persons searching for unclaimed property can now visit the Virgin Islands Unclaimed Property Claims Website to search for and submit any valid claim. If you do not have access to a computer or you are unable to print the claim form, the Division has public Kiosks in both districts that can be utilized by the public to complete the claim. You can visit the online database or contact the Divi- sion. The listing published in the newspaper and on our website, does not include the name of the original holder. No, the funds are held until the rightful owner claims them. No. The Division does not charge a fee for claim filing or processing. The Division does not pay a claim on the basis of name alone. Proof may be as simple as a document that shows your name and Social Security number, or proves that you lived at the reported address on file with the Division. After a completed claim form, the Division will notify you if additional documentation is required. If you are not the original owner, you must prove that the account belonged to the original owner; then you must prove you are entitled to the original owner’s money. The Division is required to publish the names of unclaimed property owners reported in the pre- vious year in the Virgin Islands in a newspaper of general circulation. This information is also published on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, https://ltg.gov.vi . To claim property electronically, property owners will be required to fill out a secure form online (including name, social security number, birthdate, and address). Depending on the complexity of your claim, additional supporting documents may be required to verify proof of ownership or authority to file a claim, e.g., power of attorney, court documents, etc. Do note that persons seeking to file unclaimed property claim(s) can do so at any time. There is no statute of limitation to file a valid claim