Rutherford Comes to Geneva With I-Cash Kiosk

The man who in high school might have been voted Most Likely to Be a GOP Candidate for Governor made a cameo appearance Wednesday in Geneva, touting a new "beta" I-Cash Kiosk at the Kane Country Government Center.

Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is encouraging Kane County residents in particular to stop by the kiosk at the Kane County Treasurer's Office before June 10 to see if they have any unclaimed cash or property.

"These kiosks are designed to help more people find their own money, and I thank Kane County Treasurer David Rickert for allowing me to place a kiosk here," said Rutherford. "In Kane County, 172,184 owners have $36,216,632 in unclaimed property."

That is a ton of money. Unfortunately, none were with the last name "Nagel" and first name "Rick," although there are plenty of Nagels out there who have cash, stocks or other valuable assets socked away by the state of Illinois.

It's got to be good for any politician who has the opportunity to give out money, but Rutherford seemed to take genuine joy from the enterprise. He had numerous anecdotes and heartwarming tales to tell during his brief presentation in the lobby of Building A.

"People are thrilled to find out they have money just waiting for them through I-Cash," says Rutherford. "I encourage area residents to come visit me at local I-Cash events for assistance in locating their money or property — plus everyone should make an attempt to review our online database annually so they don't miss out on money or valuable assets the state is holding for them."

That's an important footnote. Although the kiosk is there at the Government Center, you can access any time from your home computer, laptop or iPhone.

Rutherford stood side-by-side with Kane County Treasurer David Rickert during the length of his remarks. Rickert took the opportunity to offer a reminder.

"This kiosk is up and running, and will be at the Kane County Treasurer's Office, at 719 South Batavia Avenue, Geneva, until June 10. Please remember that the first installment of property taxes is due June 3," said Rickert.

Just as background, the I-Cash program helps reunite owners with their unclaimed property. The Unclaimed Property Division has $1.7 billion in cash, plus contents from Illinois safe deposit boxes that have been inactive for at least five years.

During Rutherford's first year in office, the treasurer's office returned more than $100 million to the people who owned those assets. The total returned for 2012 was $129 million, a 27 percent increase over the previous year. In past administrations, the I-Cash program returned about $80 million annually to owners. It's common for people to lose track of their assets when they move or when loved ones pass away. Businesses and banks are required to turn over unclaimed accounts to the treasurer's office.

Some examples of unclaimed property currently held by the treasurer's office includes:

• Money from inactive savings and checking accounts
• Unpaid wages or commissions
• Stocks, bonds and mutual funds
• Money orders and bill overpayments
• Paid-up life insurance policies
• Safe deposit box contents.