Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 32 - Treasurer
Section 3-70a. - Claims for abandoned property.

(a) Any person claiming an interest in property surrendered to the Treasurer under the provisions of this part may claim such property, or the proceeds from the sale thereof, at any time thereafter. Any person claiming an interest in such property shall file a certified claim with the Treasurer, setting forth the facts upon which such party claims to be entitled to recover such property. The Treasurer shall prescribe the form that such a verified claim shall take.

(b) The Treasurer shall consider each claim not later than ninety days after it is filed. The Treasurer may hold hearings on any claim and may refer any claim to the Office of the Claims Commissioner, which shall hold hearings thereon and promptly return the Claims Commissioner's recommendations for the payment or rejection thereof. The Treasurer shall deliver the Treasurer's decision in writing on each claim heard, with a finding of fact and a statement of the reasons for the Treasurer's decision. Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Treasurer may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183, except venue for such appeal shall be in the judicial district of New Britain.
(c) (1) (A) No agreement entered into prior to January 1, 2023, to locate property shall be valid if: (i) Such agreement is entered into (I) within two years after the date a report of unclaimed property is required to be filed under section 3-65a, or (II) between the date such a report is required to be filed under said section and the date it is filed under said section, whichever period is longer; (ii) such agreement is entered into within two years after the date of posting of the notice required by section 3-66a; or (iii) pursuant to such agreement, any person undertakes to locate property included in a report of unclaimed property that is required to be filed under section 3-65a for a fee or other compensation exceeding ten per cent of the value of the recoverable property.
(B) No agreement entered into on or after January 1, 2023, to locate property shall be valid if: (i) Such agreement is entered into (I) within two years after the date a report of unclaimed property is required to be filed under section 3-65a, or (II) between the date such a report is required to be filed under said section and the date it is filed under said section, whichever period is longer; or (ii) pursuant to such agreement, any person undertakes to locate property included in a report of unclaimed property that is required to be filed under section 3-65a for a fee or other compensation exceeding ten per cent of the value of the recoverable property.
(2) An agreement to locate property shall be valid only if it is in writing, signed by the owner, and discloses the nature and value of the property, and the owner's share after the fee or compensation has been subtracted is clearly stipulated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent an owner from asserting, at any time, that any agreement to locate property is based upon excessive or unjust consideration.
(d) The Treasurer shall pay each claim allowed without deduction for costs of notices or sale or for service charges. The Treasurer shall notify the Commissioner of Revenue Services of the payment of claims of five hundred dollars or more to the domiciliary administrator or executor of a deceased owner.
(e) In the case of any claim allowed under this section for property, funds or money delivered to the Treasurer pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 3-57a, the Treasurer shall pay such claim with interest as follows: For each calendar year or portion thereof that the property, funds or money has been paid or delivered to the Treasurer, the Treasurer shall pay interest at a rate that is not less than the deposit index, as determined under section 36a-26, for such year. Such interest shall accrue from the date of payment or delivery of the property, funds or money to the Treasurer until the date of payment or delivery of the property, funds or money to the claimant.
(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, where the amount of a property reported or transferred to the Treasurer under this part is less than two thousand five hundred dollars, the Treasurer shall pay such amount to an individual if the Treasurer has determined (1) that such individual is the sole owner of such property, and (2) to the Treasurer's satisfaction, the current address of such individual.
(1961, P.A. 540, S. 15; 1972, P.A. 209, S. 3; P.A. 75-605, S. 22, 27; P.A. 76-435, S. 16, 82; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610; P.A. 82-336, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-456, S. 10, 12; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 89-358, S. 3; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-212, S. 3, 4; P.A. 92-200, S. 2, 5; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-127, S. 6, 7; 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 99-215, S. 24, 29; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1, S. 79; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 422; P.A. 16-65, S. 39; 16-127, S. 25; P.A. 22-118, S. 416.)
History: 1972 act specified that claims may be made only on property worth more than $10 and provided for reimbursement of payments made by holders of travelers checks; P.A. 75-605 substituted claims commissioner for commission on claims; P.A. 76-435 made technical changes; P.A. 77-614 changed tax commissioner to commissioner of revenue services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 82-336 deleted Subsec. (a) in its entirety and substituted a provision that anyone claiming an interest in property surrendered to the state in accordance with escheat procedures may claim such property at any time where formerly such claim could only be made within 20 years from the end of the year in which such property is presumed abandoned; P.A. 84-456 added provisions to Subsec. (b) concerning agreements to locate property and conditions under which any such agreement is valid; P.A. 89-358 amended Subsec. (a) to require the filing of a certified claim, amended Subsec. (b) to provide an appeals procedure and repealed the former Subsec. (c) requiring attorney general's approval in claims to property presumed abandoned under Secs. 3-61a and 3-62a and relettered the former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (c) (Revisor's note: P.A. 88-230 authorized substitution of “judicial district of Hartford” for “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” in the public and special acts of 1989, effective September 1, 1991); P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 90-212 added Subsec. (d) re interest on certain claims; P.A. 92-200 amended Subsec. (d) to lower interest rate paid on claim from 5.25% to 4%; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-127 amended Subsec. (b) by substituting a prohibition on agreements to locate property during the longer of the periods described in Subdivs. (1) and (2) and a limit on compensation under agreements thereafter to 10% of value of recoverable property, for provisions limiting compensation to 20% of such value pursuant to an agreement to locate property entered into within 2 years after report of unclaimed property is filed and to 50% thereafter, effective June 1, 1995; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-215 replaced “judicial district of Hartford” with “judicial district of New Britain” in Subsec. (b), effective June 29, 1999; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “within ninety days” with “not later than ninety days” and making technical changes, designated provisions in Subsec. (b) re agreement to locate property as new Subsec. (c), adding provisions re agreement entered into within 2 years after date of publication required by Sec. 3-66a and re report required to be filed under Sec. 3-65a and making conforming and technical changes therein, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as new Subsec. (d), making a technical change therein, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e) and amended said Subsec. by replacing reference to Sec. 3-57a(a)(1) to (4), inclusive, with reference to Sec. 3-57a(a)(1) or (2) and replacing provision re 4% interest rate accruing from date of payment or delivery to Treasurer with provisions re payment and accrual of interest at deposit index rate determined and published pursuant to Sec. 47a-21(i)(2), effective August 16, 2003 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (e), a reference to “Commissioner of Banking” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Banking Commissioner” for consistency with P.A. 03-84); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (c)(2) to replace reference to publication of notice with reference to posting of notice, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-65 amended Subsec. (e) by replacing provision re deposit index rate determined pursuant to Sec. 47a-21(i)(2) with provision re rate not less than deposit index determined under Sec. 36a-26, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 16-127 amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “Office of the Claims Commissioner” for “Claims Commissioner” and by making a technical change, effective June 9, 2016; P.A. 22-118 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting “money or”, amended Subsec. (c) by redesignating existing provisions re agreements to locate property as Subdiv. (1)(A) and amending same to be applicable to agreements entered into prior to January 1, 2023, and making conforming changes, adding Subdiv. (1)(B) re agreements to locate property entered into on or after January 1, 2023, and redesignating existing provisions re requirements for validity of agreement as Subdiv. (2), and added Subsec. (f) re payment by Treasurer to individual of property amounts less than $2,500, effective January 1, 2023.

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