Unclaimed Money in Michigan: What You Need to Know
Every year, banks, insurance companies, employers, and investment firms in Michigan lose contact with account holders. When an account goes dormant for 3 years or more without any customer-initiated activity, the holder is required by Michigan state law to report the property and remit it to the Michigan Department of Treasury. The state then holds it indefinitely — no deadline, no fees — until the rightful owner (or their heirs) comes forward to claim it.
Why Michigan Has Over $1 Billion in Unclaimed Property
Michigan's unclaimed property is dominated by one industry: automotive. The Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (Chrysler) — along with thousands of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, have employed and laid off millions of Michigan workers over the past century. Pension accounts from closed plants, uncashed dividend checks from reorganized automakers, and UAW benefit payments that were never collected are among the most common property types in the state's database.
The 2009 GM and Chrysler bankruptcies triggered an especially large wave of unclaimed property. When both companies emerged from restructuring under new legal identities, thousands of legacy accounts, stock certificates, and pension residuals from the old entities were turned over to the state. Former employees and shareholders who didn't update their records during the restructurings frequently have unclaimed property waiting in Michigan.
Detroit's economic difficulties have also left behind significant banking-related unclaimed property. Banks that no longer operate under their original names — including First Federal Savings of Detroit (which was seized by regulators) and Manufacturers National Bank (which merged with Comerica in 1992) — left behind dormant accounts that former customers never tracked into the successor institutions. Michigan revamped its unclaimed property portal in May 2025 at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov, making the search process significantly easier.
What Types of Property Are Unclaimed?
Dormant bank accounts & savings
Uncashed payroll & dividend checks
Stocks, bonds & mutual funds
Life insurance & annuity proceeds
Wages & commissions
Mineral rights & royalties
Official Databases to Search
michigan.gov — MI Treasury
Official Michigan unclaimed property portal. Search by name, address, or business. Online claim filing with document upload.
Michigan Mineral & Auto Royalties
Michigan holds unclaimed mineral interest royalties as well as auto industry dividend checks — common among retirees from Detroit-area manufacturers.
MissingMoney.com
National portal covers Michigan. Useful if you've also lived in Ohio, Indiana, or Wisconsin.
How to Claim Unclaimed Money in Michigan — Step by Step
Claiming is free and straightforward. Follow these steps to search every relevant database and successfully lodge your claim.
Visit unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov and enter your full name. Try variations — maiden names, middle names, and former addresses increase your chances of finding matches. Search for deceased relatives too.
MissingMoney.com (run by NAUPA) covers Michigan and other states simultaneously. If you've ever lived in another state, this single search can find property from multiple states at once.
When you find a match, click to view claim details. You'll typically need: a government-issued photo ID, proof of current address (utility bill or bank statement), and sometimes additional documents to prove ownership (old account statements, correspondence, etc.).
Most Michigan claims can be filed entirely online with document upload. Paper mail-in claims are also accepted. Submit everything together — incomplete claims are the most common cause of delays.
After submitting your claim, the Michigan Department of Treasury will review your documents and verify your identity. Processing typically takes 60–90 days. You can check your claim status online. Once approved, payment is made by check or direct deposit.
Search Tips for Michigan Residents
- ✓ Search under the name of any Big Three employer (GM, Ford, Chrysler/Stellantis) and their legacy entities — Delphi, Visteon, and Saginaw Steering Gear also reported large volumes of unclaimed employee accounts
- ✓ UAW members should check specifically for unclaimed union benefit payments, supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB pay), and VEBA trust distributions
- ✓ Michigan's current search portal is at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov — the old michigan.gov/unclaimedproperty address now redirects, but use the new URL to avoid confusion
- ✓ Search for accounts from First Federal Savings, Manufacturers National Bank, and Old Kent Financial (acquired by Fifth Third) — Michigan bank mergers generated significant unclaimed property
- ✓ If you hold pre-2009 GM or Chrysler stock certificates, search under your name at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov — some bankruptcy-era distributions went uncollected and were remitted to the state
Ready to Search for Free?
Our tool links you directly to Michigan's official unclaimed property database and all US federal databases — no signup, no fee.
Search Michigan Free Now →Or search the official database directly: unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov