Lowcountry residents find money in State Treasurer Curtis Loftis' unclaimed property program

Lowcountry residents find money in State Treasurer Loftis' unclaimed property program

By Bill Burr bbur@abcnews4.com{}

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- The South Carolina State Treasurer's Office has more than $418 million it wants to return to taxpayers.

Thursday night, ABC News 4 held a Phone Bank so people could call in with their questions and to find out if they were entitled to money through the state's unclaimed property program.

The response was overwhelming. Officials at the state treasurer's office said they received eight times the normal claims.

Suzi Yohe is one of the people who found out she was entitled to a check.

"I saw the news story there about 'find your lost money.' So I was like, 'Hey, I have as good a chance as anybody else,'" she said. "First, I put in my married name and it didn't come up. But I tried my maiden name and there it was."

Her unclaimed money was from a previous job.

It was less than $100, but she said the amount didn't matter.

"I'm the kind of girl that if I find five bucks in my jacket, I feel like I won the lottery. So you know, it was great," said Yohe.

And after Yohe found out she had a check waiting for her, her boss decided to follow suit.

"I typed in my maiden name and my name didn't come up but Tupperway Tires did," said the business' co-owner Leiding Walters. " So I clicked on it and it said I had over $100. So I'm excited about finding it."

State Treasurer Curtis Loftis and volunteers answered more than 100 calls in the ABC News 4 studio on Thursday. The calls came in from viewers looking for cash in the program.

"A lot of people need their money. It's $400, $600 - could be a month's rent. It could be kids' college tuition, the part they don't have. It's important," he said.

The treasurer's office is still adding up the total amount of money that has been claimed so far.

To find unclaimed money anywhere in the state,{}click here.{}

via WCIV's website on February, 7 2014