Bristol County Unclaimed Money Search

Bristol County residents in New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, and communities across the county can search for unclaimed money held by the Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division, which takes in dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, and forgotten assets reported by companies operating in the state. The search is free at FindMassMoney.gov and takes only a few minutes.

How to Search for Unclaimed Money in Bristol County

Start at FindMassMoney.gov. Enter your first and last name in the search fields. The system checks the full Massachusetts database of unclaimed property reported by banks, insurers, brokerages, utilities, and other companies. Results are not limited to Bristol County. Any property tied to a Bristol County address will appear alongside results from other parts of the state. Look at all results where the name matches and review the property details to decide if it is yours.

Bristol County has over 560,000 residents spread across New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Brockton (which crosses into Plymouth County), and dozens of smaller towns. The county's mix of mid-sized cities and working communities means a wide range of assets have been reported over the years. Old payroll checks, dormant savings accounts, insurance refunds, and utility deposits all show up in the database. Small balances are just as valid to claim as large ones. The state holds them all until the owner comes forward.

If you have changed your name, try searching under each version. If you inherited property from a parent or relative who lived in Bristol County, search their name too. You can file a claim on behalf of a deceased person's estate if you have the legal authority to do so. Former Bristol County residents who moved away should still check, since unclaimed property stays in Massachusetts after it is reported here. The state's search tips page at findmassmoney.gov/app/claim/how-to-search gives specific guidance on different search strategies.

The search results page lets you review each property before deciding to file a claim.

Each result shows the property type, the amount or description, and the name of the company that originally reported it to the state.

Bristol County Registry of Deeds: Three Districts

Bristol County is one of the few Massachusetts counties with three separate Registry of Deeds districts. Each district covers a different part of the county and maintains its own records, website, and staff. If you need property records to support an unclaimed property claim, or just to research ownership history, you need to know which district covers the address in question.

The Northern Bristol County Registry (Taunton) serves Taunton, Attleboro, Raynham, Dighton, Easton, and surrounding communities. The office is at 11 Court Street, Taunton, MA 02780. Phone: 508-822-0502. Fax: 508-880-4975. Email: registry@tauntondeeds.com. Register Barry J. Amaral oversees this office. The website is tauntondeeds.com. Online records go back to April 1735 (Book 24), which is exceptional depth for a Massachusetts registry. All Land Court documents and all Recorded Land Plans are available online.

The Northern Bristol registry office in Taunton is the starting point for deed research in that part of the county.

The Taunton registry's online system covers records all the way back to the 1700s, making it one of the deeper digital archives in Massachusetts.

The Fall River District Registry covers Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, and Freetown-Assonet. The office is at 441 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720. Phone: 508-673-1651 or 508-673-2910. Fax: 508-673-7633. Email: admin@fallriverdeeds.org. Register Bernard J. McDonald III runs this office. The website is fallriverdeeds.com. Online searches are available through i2o.uslandrecords.com. The index covers grantor and grantee records from 1956 to present. In-person copy costs run $0.50 per page on public machines and $1.00 per page for certified copies.

The Fall River District Registry website shows what the search portal looks like and what records are available online.

The Fall River registry handles property records for four communities in the southwestern part of Bristol County.

The Southern Bristol County Registry (New Bedford) covers New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and Acushnet. The office is at 25 North 6th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. Phone: 508-993-2605. Fax: 508-997-4250. Email: info@newbedforddeeds.com. Register Sherrilynn M. Mello leads this office. The main site is newbedforddeeds.com. Online searching is at masearchsb.com. Recorded Land records go back to 1900, and historical grantor-grantee indices extend back to 1686. The online checkout system lets you select pages and pay by credit card to download copies.

The New Bedford online search system at MaSearchSB.com is the tool for searching Southern Bristol County property records.

The New Bedford registry's search platform covers Recorded Land and Registered Land documents for the southern part of the county.

Types of Unclaimed Property Found in Bristol County

Bristol County has a broad mix of industries and communities, which means the types of unclaimed property reported here cover a wide range. Bank accounts are the most common category. When a savings or checking account sits inactive for three years and the bank cannot reach the owner, the balance goes to the state. Credit union accounts follow the same rule. These accounts can be small, but any amount is worth claiming.

Insurance companies are a consistent source of unclaimed funds. Life insurance policies issued decades ago sometimes go unclaimed because the policyholder died and no one knew about the policy, or the beneficiary moved and lost contact with the company. The insurer must try to locate the beneficiary, but if efforts fail, the funds get turned over to the state. Old annuity payments and health insurance refunds also appear in the database.

Utility security deposits are another common type, especially in areas with high rental turnover. When someone moves and does not leave a forwarding address, the utility company holds the deposit for a period and then reports it as unclaimed. The same applies to escrow balances from real estate deals that closed years ago. If a small overpayment sat in an escrow account and the check was never cashed, that balance eventually ends up with the state.

The state's general FAQ at findmassmoney.gov/app/faq-general covers every property type in detail and explains what documentation each type of claim may require.

How to File a Claim

The claim process is online and free. Once you find property that belongs to you at FindMassMoney.gov, click to start the claim. The system guides you through the steps. You provide your contact information, confirm that the property is yours, and upload the required documents. You can save your progress and return later if needed.

Most claims need only a photo ID. A Massachusetts driver's license, state ID card, or passport works. If the account was in your name under a former address, a document that links your name to that address, such as an old utility bill or tax return, can help. For claims on inherited property, you need to show legal authority. Letters testamentary from a probate court, a certified death certificate, and documentation of your relationship to the deceased are the most common requirements. The state's FAQ on claiming at findmassmoney.gov/app/faq-claim explains what each scenario requires in plain language.

About one-third of claims are auto-approved when the details match clearly in the state's records. The rest go through manual review. Processing takes roughly 180 days. You get status updates through the portal. If the state needs more information, they reach out by email. Once approved, the state sends payment for the full reported amount. No fees are deducted. You get back what was reported, in full.

Do not pay someone to file for you unless you understand the agreement. Under MGL Chapter 200A, Section 13, heir-finding and locator services are restricted in what they can charge. Filing on your own through the state's site is always free and carries no disadvantage compared to using a paid service.

Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Law

All unclaimed property in Bristol County falls under MGL Chapter 200A. This law governs every step of the process, from when companies must report to the state, to how the state holds the funds, to how owners can claim them back. It applies the same way in Taunton as it does in Boston or Springfield.

Section 3 covers bank deposits. Three years of dormancy triggers the reporting requirement. Section 5 handles securities, including stock dividends and brokerage account balances. Section 7 explains how the state takes custody and issues receipts to the reporting companies. Once the state has custody, the original holder is released from liability. The state then becomes the custodian and must pay the owner upon a valid claim.

There is no time limit on claims. That is one of the most important parts of the law. Whether the property was reported last year or twenty years ago, you can still file. The funds do not revert to the state permanently. They stay available for the rightful owner or their heirs indefinitely. The state has returned $787 million to owners over the last five years alone, and Bristol County residents have been part of that recovery.

Local Resources for Bristol County

The Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division handles all Bristol County claims. Contact: One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02108. Phone: (617) 367-0400. Toll-free: 888-344-MASS (6277). Full details at mass.gov/orgs/unclaimed-property-division. The division's how-to guide is at mass.gov/how-to/find-unclaimed-property.

For property record research in the northern part of the county, contact the Taunton registry at 508-822-0502 or visit tauntondeeds.com. For Fall River and surrounding towns, use the Fall River District Registry at 508-673-1651 or fallriverdeeds.com. For New Bedford and the southern communities, call 508-993-2605 or visit newbedforddeeds.com and search at masearchsb.com.

For a national search that covers multiple states at once, use MissingMoney.com. It is free and pairs well with the Massachusetts search when you want to check states where you may have lived previously.

Cities in Bristol County

Bristol County's largest communities include New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, and Brockton. All residents of Bristol County search and claim unclaimed money through the same state portal at FindMassMoney.gov, regardless of which city or town they live in.

Other Bristol County communities include Attleboro, Dartmouth, Westport, Easton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Mansfield, Plainville, Norton, Dighton, Berkeley, Freetown, Somerset, Swansea, Fairhaven, Acushnet, and several others. All of these towns use the state's unified unclaimed property database.

Nearby Counties

Bristol County borders Plymouth, Norfolk, and Barnstable counties. If you have lived or worked across county lines, search in each county's connected database. All Massachusetts unclaimed property is in one statewide system, so your search at FindMassMoney.gov covers every county at once.