Unclaimed Property

Fee Finder Information

Fee finders or (heir finders) are people who have, through public information laws, obtained a list of people who have unclaimed property on file with the State of Alaska. There are no special requirements or licenses needed in the State of Alaska. (Some states require bonding and an investigator license.)

If you have been contacted by a fee finder you should attempt to locate your property on your own before signing a contract. Check through old tax records for accounts that may have been forgotten. Stocks, mutual funds and other long-term investments are often targets for fee finders. You should contact unclaimed property offices in the states where you have lived before.

The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators' (NAUPA) web site contains information about each state's unclaimed property laws as well as a listing of other states that have searchable databases.

Fee Finder Agreements

The State of Alaska's Unclaimed Property Act has a provision that addresses fee finders' contract conditions and allowable fees. A contract must be in writing, not exceed six months, specify fees to be charged, state the nature and value of property and the value of the owner's share after the fee is deducted. The fee or compensation must not exceed the limitations below.

A contract that does not meet the statutory guidelines is unenforceable.

Fee Finder Limitations

The fee or compensation must not exceed the following:
  • Property equal to or greater than $500 can not be charged a fee in excess of 10%
  • Property less than $500 can not be charged a fee in excess of 20%

A contract that exceeds the above limits is unenforceable.

Any collection and payment disputes are limited to the contractual parties.

List for Fee Finders

Periodically, the State of Alaska compiles a list of unclaimed property with a value of $100 or more. The list is available at no charge. To download the list you'll need two files: the README.PDF and the ZIP file (2009 Fee Finders List). If you have any problems, questions and/or comments about downloading, installing or using this software please refer to the README.PDF.

Fee Finder Claims

The Department of Revenue works directly with the owner(s) to process their claim. The owner may be asked to provide various information such as current and former addresses, phone number, birth date, etc.