Treasurer’s office breaks record for returned property

The division is responsible for safeguarding and seeking out owners of the contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes and unclaimed funds. The office currently holds more than $500 million in unclaimed property.

Last year, Steelman’s office returned a record $22.9 million in property. This year, the office has surpassed that number by nearly $10 million so far, having returned $32.3 million worth of property and funds to owners, according to a news release.

Since Steelman took office about three years ago, her office every year has broken the previous year’s record for amount of property returned, the release said.

Steelman made the announcement Wednesday at an open house for the division, at which employees opened sealed envelopes containing contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes. Items that turned up included an Elvis belt buckle, $30,000 in $100 bills and an autographed Yogi Berra baseball card.