We operate the way a law firm does. Time and money go into every case knowing that some will never pay off, and the ones that do have to carry the ones that do not.
Searching millions of public records across more than a thousand agencies
Paying for access to private databases and skip-trace lists
Travelling to courthouses and government offices in person
Hiring private investigators, attorneys and genealogists
Tracing heirs through deeds, voter rolls, military and probate records
Preparing and recording filings at the county to release the funds
The sequence
From first contact to funds released
Identification We confirm you are the person named in the record. This is the step most people expect to be invasive and it is not: we never ask for a Social Security number.
Consent You sign a consent agreement that lets us put questions to the fund holder directly. Without it they will not speak to us, and nothing can be verified.
Verification We confirm the funds exist, confirm the amount, and check that no competing claim or unpaid debt sits ahead of yours. This is where a claim most often dies, and it costs you nothing when it does.
Written offer You receive our terms in writing. Where the money comes from a probated estate the fee may be higher, and if so you are told in writing before you sign anything.
Filing and release We prepare the recovery agreement, debt affidavit and assignment, record what needs recording, obtain certified copies and press the fund holder until payment is issued.
Timing
How long this usually takes
From filing, most claims take 60 to 90 days. Complications extend that: competing claims, legal review, requests for further documentation, or a trustee who simply moves slowly.
We are not paid until you are, so there is no version of this where we benefit from delay. You will be told where your claim stands at each stage and you can ask at any point.
See whether there is money in your name
The search costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. If we find something, you will hear exactly what it is and exactly what we propose.