Find Unclaimed Money in Norfolk County

Norfolk County is home to hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents who may have unclaimed money sitting with the state's Unclaimed Property Division, including forgotten bank accounts, insurance checks, and old security deposits that were never picked up. Search the free official portal at FindMassMoney.gov to see if any funds are being held in your name.

How to Search for Unclaimed Money in Norfolk County

Searching takes about two minutes. Go to FindMassMoney.gov and enter your name in the search box. The system scans all unclaimed property reported by companies doing business in Massachusetts. It does not filter by county. That means results for your name can include property tied to a Norfolk County address as well as accounts from other parts of the state. Review all results and click through to check the details on each one.

About 1 in 10 Massachusetts residents has unclaimed property. Norfolk County's population is over 700,000. That means tens of thousands of people in this county alone may have funds waiting to be claimed. Most do not know it. The state holds this money indefinitely. There is no cutoff date after which the funds disappear. Whether the property was reported five years ago or thirty years ago, you can still file a claim.

Try more than one name variation when searching. Use your current legal name first, then check a maiden name, a former name, or any business name you used in the past. Married couples should both search. Children who have reached adulthood can search for accounts opened in their name years ago. Former Norfolk County residents who moved to another state should still check here, since the property stays in Massachusetts if that is where it was originally reported.

For accounts that may have been reported in other states, the national search at MissingMoney.com covers multiple states at once. It is free and takes only a few seconds. The state also provides helpful search tips at findmassmoney.gov/app/claim/how-to-search if you want guidance on what to enter and how to read results.

The Unclaimed Property Division's organization page shows the structure and contact details for the office that holds Norfolk County funds.

The division is part of the Massachusetts Treasury and operates under MGL Chapter 200A.

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is at 649 High Street in Dedham. The phone number for customer service is 781-461-6101. Register William P. O'Donnell oversees the office. First Assistant Register Marguerite L. Lee can be reached at 781-461-6143. The registry's website is norfolkdeeds.org, and online research tools are available at norfolkdeeds.org/research/begin-online-research.

Land records here go back to 1793. The registry has 100% of its index entries available online at no cost. That means you can search names, book and page numbers, addresses (limited before 2003), document types, towns, date ranges, and plan indexes without paying anything. Document images are also available online, but printing or downloading images costs $1.00 per page. An annual subscription costs $100 and gives you unlimited print access for the year. Casual users can search and view for free without subscribing.

Norfolk County holds historical records that go beyond its current boundaries. The registry also maintains records for communities that were absorbed by Boston in the 19th and early 20th centuries: Roxbury (annexed 1867), Dorchester (1869), West Roxbury (1872), and Hyde Park (1911). If you are researching property tied to those neighborhoods before annexation, the Norfolk County Registry is the right place to start, not Suffolk County.

About 20% of Norfolk County property is Registered Land rather than Recorded Land. Registered Land parcels each have a Certificate of Title number. When you search online, look in both categories if you do not find what you need under one. Land Court records from 1900 forward are also available online through the same system. County engineering plans for bridges, highways, turnpikes, and railroad crossings are kept here as well and can be searched by plan number. Handwritten documents from 1793 to 1900 have been transcribed for convenience, though only the original is legally binding.

Types of Unclaimed Property in Norfolk County

The state holds many kinds of property that originated with Norfolk County residents. Bank accounts go dormant when the owner stops making transactions and the bank loses touch with them. After three years of inactivity with no response from the owner, the bank must report the balance to the state. Credit unions follow the same rule. Even small balances get reported, and the state holds them just like large ones.

Insurance companies are another major source. Uncashed life insurance checks, policy refunds, and annuity payments all get reported if the company cannot locate the beneficiary. Brokerage accounts and stock dividends also show up in the database. If someone held shares in a company and the dividends stopped being cashed, the brokerage eventually turns those dividends and the account value over to the state. Utility deposits from old addresses, refunds from closed accounts, and escrow balances from real estate closings are other common types.

Safe deposit box contents sometimes end up as unclaimed property too. When a bank closes a box due to unpaid fees and the owner cannot be found, the contents go to the state. Physical items are held separately from cash. The state's FAQ at findmassmoney.gov/app/faq-general covers what happens to physical property and how to claim it.

The search results page shows a clear breakdown of what was reported for each item.

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

How to File a Claim for Norfolk County Residents

Filing a claim is done entirely online through FindMassMoney.gov. The state does not charge a fee at any point in the process. Find your property in the search results, click the claim button, and follow the prompts. You will enter your contact details and answer questions about how you are connected to the property. At the end, you will be asked to upload supporting documents.

For most straightforward claims, a government-issued photo ID is enough. A driver's license or state ID card works. If the property is from a joint account, you may need to show evidence of joint ownership, such as an old bank statement. For claims on a deceased person's property, you need documents showing your legal right to inherit, such as letters testamentary or a certified copy of a death certificate combined with proof of relationship. The state's claiming FAQ at findmassmoney.gov/app/faq-claim lists exactly what each situation requires.

Roughly one-third of claims get approved automatically. These tend to be cases where the name, address history, and other details line up cleanly with state records. The rest go through a manual review. Processing takes about 180 days on average. You can check your status at any time through the same portal. If more documents are needed, the state contacts you through the email you provided when filing.

Never pay a third party to file a claim for you unless you fully understand the terms. The state's own site is free. Under MGL Chapter 200A, Section 13, heir-finding services are restricted in what they can charge and when. You always have the right to file on your own at no cost.

Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Law

Norfolk County unclaimed money is governed by MGL Chapter 200A. This law sets the rules for when companies must turn over dormant property, how the state holds it, and how owners can get it back. It applies statewide, so the rules are the same whether property originated in Dedham, Quincy, Brookline, or any other Norfolk County community.

Section 3 deals with bank deposits and similar financial accounts. The dormancy period is three years, meaning the holder must wait three years of inactivity before reporting to the state. Section 5 covers other intangible property, including securities and dividends. Section 9A handles municipal funds, so refunds owed by city or town governments also come under this law. When any of these dormancy periods expire and the holder cannot reach the owner, the funds go to the state Treasury.

The state keeps full custody of the money and earns interest on it while waiting for owners to come forward. The funds do not expire. The original owner or their heirs can file at any time. Once a claim is approved, the state issues payment for the full amount reported, without deducting any fees or charges for storage. This makes filing worthwhile even for small amounts.

Local Resources for Norfolk County

The Unclaimed Property Division is the main state contact for Norfolk County residents. Office address: One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02108. Phone: (617) 367-0400. Toll-free: 888-344-MASS (6277). The division's full contact and service details are at mass.gov/orgs/unclaimed-property-division.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds at 649 High Street, Dedham (781-461-6101) can assist with property records that may support a claim. Their research tools are at norfolkdeeds.org/research. Online searching is free. Certified copies cost $1.00 per page plus a certification fee. The registry is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

For help understanding your rights or navigating the claims process, the Mass.gov how-to guide at mass.gov/how-to/find-unclaimed-property is a clear and straightforward resource. It is written for the general public and covers each step without requiring legal knowledge.

Cities in Norfolk County

Norfolk County includes Quincy, Brookline, and Weymouth, among many other communities. All of these towns and cities share the same state unclaimed property database. Search any name connected to a Norfolk County address through FindMassMoney.gov.

Other Norfolk County communities include Dedham, Needham, Milton, Randolph, Walpole, Stoughton, Canton, Avon, Sharon, Wrentham, Medfield, Medway, Norfolk, Franklin, Plainville, and Foxborough. Residents of all these towns use the same state search portal.

Nearby Counties

Norfolk County borders Suffolk, Plymouth, Bristol, and Middlesex counties. If you have lived in more than one of these counties, search using all your past addresses. Unclaimed property is reported based on the address on file with the company that held it, which may differ from where you live now.