Donna Owens, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, announced today that the department’s Division of Unclaimed Funds will be setting up its “Treasure Hunt” display at the Kaleidoscope '98 Conference on Thursday, May 21 at the Ohio Expo Center. The "Treasure Hunt", which will be located in booth #109 in the Celeste Center, will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kaleidoscope '98 is an educational conference for women which offers workshops on workplace communications, education, career, wellness, personal finance, technology, and entrepreneurship.

The division currently holds 317,260 unclaimed funds accounts worth $31,482,322 for current or former residents of Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties. Residents from any county can stop by the Treasure Hunt to find out immediately if any of these funds belong to them.

Common sources of unclaimed funds include: dormant checking and savings accounts, forgotten rent and utility deposits, uncashed checks, undelivered stock certificates, uncashed insurance policies, forgotten layaway deposits, and safe deposit box contents.

Individuals who would like to check their names for unclaimed funds and cannot attend Kaleidoscope '98 can check the Internet or write to the Division of Unclaimed Funds. Unclaimed Funds Chief Jessie Baker encourages current and former Ohio residents to visit the Department of Commerce's Internet site at www.com.state.oh.us to check to see if they have unclaimed funds waiting to be claimed. Also, individuals can write to the division and provide the full name to be researched, along with the Ohio counties in which the person may have resided. The Division’s address is 77 South High Street, 20th Floor, Columbus, OH 43266-0545.

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The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds is responsible for the safekeeping and return of monies designated as “unclaimed.” Forgotten monies from about 250,000 people and organizations are turned over to the state each year as the result of death, forgetfulness, or inadvertence. Other Commerce divisions enforce regulations regarding building and fire codes, financial institutions, real estate, liquor, securities and various other licensed professions and industries.