Sec. 3-70a. Claims for abandoned property.
Sec. 3-70a. Claims for abandoned property. (a) Any person claiming an interest
in property surrendered to the Treasurer under the provisions of this part may claim
such property, or the proceeds from the sale thereof, at any time thereafter. Any person
claiming an interest in such property shall file a certified claim with the Treasurer, setting
forth the facts upon which such party claims to be entitled to recover such money or
property. The Treasurer shall prescribe the form that such a verified claim shall take.
(b) The Treasurer shall consider each claim not later than ninety days after it is
filed. The Treasurer may hold hearings on any claim and may refer any claim to the
Claims Commissioner, who shall hold hearings thereon and promptly return the Claims
Commissioner's recommendations for the payment or rejection thereof. The Treasurer
shall deliver the Treasurer's decision in writing on each claim heard, with a finding of
fact and a statement of the reasons for the Treasurer's decision. Any person aggrieved
by a decision of the Treasurer may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions
of section 4-183, except venue for such appeal shall be in the judicial district of New
Britain.
(c) No agreement to locate property shall be valid if: (1) Such agreement is entered
into (A) within two years after the date a report of unclaimed property is required to be
filed under section 3-65a or (B) between the date such a report is required to be filed
under said section and the date it is filed under said section, whichever period is longer,
(2) such agreement is entered into within two years after the date of publication of the
notice required by section 3-66a, or (3) pursuant to such agreement, any person undertakes to locate property included in a report of unclaimed property that is required to
be filed under section 3-65a for a fee or other compensation exceeding ten per cent of
the value of the recoverable property. An agreement to locate property shall be valid
only if it is in writing, signed by the owner, and discloses the nature and value of the
property, and the owner's share after the fee or compensation has been subtracted is
clearly stipulated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent an owner from
asserting, at any time, that any agreement to locate property is based upon excessive or
unjust consideration.
(d) The Treasurer shall pay each claim allowed without deduction for costs of notices or sale or for service charges. The Treasurer shall notify the Commissioner of
Revenue Services of the payment of claims of five hundred dollars or more to the domiciliary administrator or executor of a deceased owner.
(e) In the case of any claim allowed under this section for property, funds or money
delivered to the Treasurer pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section
3-57a, the Treasurer shall pay such claim with interest as follows: For each calendar
year or portion thereof that the property, funds or money has been paid or delivered to
the Treasurer, the Treasurer shall pay interest at the deposit index rate determined and
published by the Banking Commissioner not later than December fifteenth of the preceding calendar year pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (i) of section 47a-21. Such
interest shall accrue from the date of payment or delivery of the property, funds or money
to the Treasurer until the date of payment or delivery of the property, funds or money
to the claimant.
(1961, P.A. 540, S. 15; 1972, P.A. 209, S. 3; P.A. 75-605, S. 22, 27; P.A. 76-435, S. 16, 82; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610;
P.A. 82-336, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-456, S. 10, 12; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 89-358, S. 3; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-212, S.
3, 4; P.A. 92-200, S. 2, 5; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-127, S. 6, 7; 95-220, S. 4-6; P.A. 99-215, S. 24, 29; June 30 Sp.
Sess. P.A. 03-1, S. 79.)
History: 1972 act specified that claims may be made only on property worth more than $10 and provided for reimbursement of payments made by holders of travelers checks; P.A. 75-605 substituted claims commissioner for commission on
claims; P.A. 76-435 made technical changes; P.A. 77-614 changed tax commissioner to commissioner of revenue services,
effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 82-336 deleted Subsec. (a) in its entirety and substituted a provision that anyone claiming
an interest in property surrendered to the state in accordance with escheat procedures may claim such property at any time
where formerly such claim could only be made within 20 years from the end of the year in which such property is presumed
abandoned; P.A. 84-456 added provisions to Subsec. (b) concerning agreements to locate property and conditions under
which any such agreement is valid; P.A. 89-358 amended Subsec. (a) to require the filing of a certified claim, amended
Subsec. (b) to provide an appeals procedure and repealed the former Subsec. (c) requiring attorney general's approval in
claims to property presumed abandoned under Secs. 3-61a and 3-62a and relettered the former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (c)
(Revisor's note: P.A. 88-230 authorized substitution of "judicial district of Hartford" for "judicial district of Hartford-New
Britain" in the public and special acts of 1989, effective September 1, 1991); P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A.
88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 90-212 added Subsec. (d) re interest on certain claims; P.A.
92-200 amended Subsec. (d) to lower interest rate paid on claim from 5.25% to 4%; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective
date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-127 amended Subsec.
(b) by substituting a prohibition on agreements to locate property during the longer of the periods described in Subdivs.
(1) and (2) and a limit on compensation under agreements thereafter to 10% of value of recoverable property, for provisions
limiting compensation to 20% of such value pursuant to an agreement to locate property entered into within 2 years after
report of unclaimed property is filed and to 50% thereafter, effective June 1, 1995; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date
of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-215 replaced "judicial
district of Hartford" with "judicial district of New Britain" in Subsec. (b), effective June 29, 1999; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A.
03-1 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing "within ninety days" with "not later than ninety days" and making technical changes,
designated provisions in Subsec. (b) re agreement to locate property as new Subsec. (c), adding provisions re agreement
entered into within 2 years after date of publication required by Sec. 3-66a and re report required to be filed under Sec. 3-65a and making conforming and technical changes therein, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as new Subsec. (d), making
a technical change therein, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e) and amended said Subsec. by replacing reference
to Sec. 3-57a(a)(1) to (4), inclusive, with reference to Sec. 3-57a(a)(1) or (2) and replacing provision re 4% interest rate
accruing from date of payment or delivery to Treasurer with provisions re payment and accrual of interest at deposit index
rate determined and published pursuant to Sec. 47a-21(i)(2), effective August 16, 2003 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (e), a
reference to "Commissioner of Banking" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Banking Commissioner" for consistency with P.A. 03-84).