The state of Illinois insists that it has made it easier for claimants to collect unclaimed property in its possession, but often NBC 5 Responds hears from viewers who use a different description

A Chicago family said they almost walked away from more than $6,500 in unclaimed funds, left behind by their late father, after years of failed attempts to obtain it from the Illinois State Treasurer’s office. 

Three decades after their late father’s death, the family had found his name on a long list of Illinois unclaimed property owners.

Some two years after starting the process of re-claiming their father’s money, his daughter says it was the hardest she ever had to work for any money, and she found the process riddled with unnecessary obstacles.

The Illinois Treasurer’s Office is defending its requirements, saying it has to employ rigorous standards to combat fraud.

Are those standards too complicated, when it comes to heirs of a long-deceased relative? NBC 5 Responds gets answers.


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