THE FOLLOWING IS AN ILLINOIS STATE TREASURER’S OFFICE RELEASE
Money Waiting for Michael Myers, Fred Kruger, Lizzie Borden
Video of Treasurer Frerichs available here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-xyHfLp-Pwk
Ahead of Halloween, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is asking residents to check the ICash website to see if there’s missing money waiting for you to claim.
“You might find enough money for a bag of candy, a really good Halloween costume or tickets to a haunted house. Maybe even enough to take your friends out to see a scary movie,” Frerichs said. “And speaking of scary movies, I checked the ICash database, and it looks like there’s money waiting for several people named Michael Myers and even a few named Fred Krueger.”
The Treasurer’s Office also found missing money that belongs to a couple of Lizzie Bordens, plenty of Jasons, and several people named Kathy Bates (but no Annie Wilkes). There is also unclaimed property for some Pumpkins, Ghosts and even a few Gourds.
ICash is one of Illinois’ oldest consumer protection initiatives. The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is tasked with safeguarding and returning unclaimed property, including the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. The Illinois Treasurer is legally required to return unclaimed property to its owner or heirs, no matter how long it takes.
Frerichs returned a record $307.8 million in missing money to more than 567,000 residents, businesses and organizations through the ICash program during Fiscal Year 2026. That broke last year’s mark, when $303.8 million was returned to nearly 312,000 residents.
All told, Frerichs has returned more than $2.65 billion in missing money during his time in office. When Frerichs first became Treasurer, there were 60,000 claims paid a year. Today, more than 300,000 claims are paid during a normal year, owing in no small part to Frerichs’ complete restructuring of the missing money process. The State Treasurer’s Office added electronic claims, eliminated red tape that slowed small-money claims, and even returned money without the need to file a claim.
Frerichs also added a Friends and Family “share” feature. When visitors to the ICash website come across the name of someone they know, they can select the “share” icon and provide the email address of their friend or relative. Frerichs’ office will notify the individual by sending an email that mentions the missing money along with the name of the friend or relative who spotted it. Then, that individual can start the process of retrieving their missing money.
Treasurer Frerichs also has unveiled a Spanish-language missing money website. The site works the same way as its English-language counterpart. People enter a name and city or ZIP code into the search box, and if there’s a match, they can start filing a claim online.
Illinois is a national leader in the unclaimed property space and is frequently consulted by other states’ leaders who are seeking to reform their unclaimed property laws, rules, and procedures.
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office recommends that people check at least twice each year at icash.illinoistreasurer.gov to see if missing money is waiting for you.
About the Treasurer
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is a powerful economic engine that invests in people to drive prosperity, development and growth throughout the state. As State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR’iks) is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages approximately $60 billion. The investments help families pay for college and trade school; workers save for a dignified retirement; and local governments process bill payments more efficiently so they can pass along the savings to taxpayers. The office provides financial institutions with money to loan to farmers, small business owners, and qualified individuals at below-market rates because better jobs create stronger communities. The office operates the state’s largest consumer-protection initiative, the missing money ICash program, which has returned a record-breaking $2.65 billion since Frerichs was elected.
For more news about the State Treasurer’s Office, please sign up for our newsletter and follow Treasurer Frerichs on YouTube at @TreasurerMichaelFrerichs, Instagram at IL Treasurer, Threads @iltreasurer, LinkedIn and on Facebook at Invested in You – Treasurer Michael Frerichs.
