Unclaimed property

Unclaimed or “abandoned” property refers to inactive financial assets. After a period of no activity or contact, we’re legally required to transfer the property to the unclaimed property department for the appropriate state or territory through a process known as escheatment.

Visit http://www.missingmoney.com to search for unclaimed property by individual or business name.

Contact the applicable state or territory’s unclaimed property department directly. If the state or territory has no record of the property, email unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com for further assistance. It can take up to a year for states and territories to display unclaimed property on their websites and claim processing times may vary.

Regularly accessing your account, keeping your contact information up to date, and promptly cashing cashier’s checks and money orders are all ways to keep your property from becoming unclaimed.

• If the due date in the letter hasn’t passed, please follow the instructions or call the phone number listed on the letter. 
• If the due date in the letter has passed, send an email to unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com.

• To claim an open account, please contact Wells Fargo’s Estate Care Center as soon as possible.
• To inquire about a closed account, cashier’s check, or money order, send an email to unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com.
• To inquire about the contents of a safe deposit box, please visit any Wells Fargo branch and bring the certified death certificate and estate documents authorizing you to claim the property. 

• California state law requires the state to send a due diligence letter prior to property being escheated.
• If the date on the letter has passed and you haven’t claimed the property, it’s been escheated. Please contact California’s Unclaimed Property department directly.
• If the date on the letter hasn’t passed, please contact us using the contact information listed on the letter to start the claim process.

If the contents are no longer at the branch, the box has been accessed, inventoried, and securely transferred to a central location until claimed or escheated. Please visit any Wells Fargo branch location for more information.

For help, please visit any Wells Fargo Branch. If you’re claiming on behalf of another owner, bring documentation authorizing you to claim the contents. If you’re unable to visit a branch, send an email to unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com.

For guidance on how to fill out an affidavit, refer to the Wells Fargo Unclaimed Property Affidavit Instructions or call us at 1-877-392-2342, available 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m. to midnight Eastern Time. For customers with hearing or speech disabilities, we accept telecommunications relay service calls.

Not all customers will get a letter prior to escheatment, as states and territories define mailing requirements in their unclaimed property laws. Additionally, letters for branch issued cashier’s checks are only mailed if there was a payee address recorded on the check at the time of purchase.

• If the check was purchased by another Wells Fargo customer, contact the purchaser for more information.
• If the check was issued by Wells Fargo, and came with a letter attached, refer to the letter that came with the check. Call the number on the letter with additional questions.
• If the check was issued by Wells Fargo and there was no letter attached, email unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com.  We’ll review and locate additional information, if available.

If the check is less than seven years old, Wells Fargo may have a copy available. Email unclaimedproperty@wellsfargo.com to ask for additional assistance.

If a cashier’s check remains uncashed for an extended period, state laws may require it to be turned over to the state as unclaimed property. The timeline for this process varies by state and is subject to change.

An account is considered inactive when there’s been no customer-initiated activity or contact for an extended period.

• For personal accounts, call 1-800-TO-Wells (1-800-869-3557). For business accounts, call 1-800-225-5935. We also accept telecommunication relay service (TRS) calls for customers with hearing or speech disabilities.
• Visit your nearest Wells Fargo branch. To find a branch near you, visit wellsfargo.com/locator. New York residents must visit a Wells Fargo Branch.