The West Virginia State Treasurer is the administrator of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act and acts as custodian of the property on behalf of the owner. Unclaimed property may be any type of personal property on a business' records that is a debt or obligation to someone else which has remained unclaimed for a specified abandonment period.
Personal property is anything tangible or intangible.
Real property, land or anything affixed to it, is not covered by the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. At the time the check was issued, the payee was entitled to the money. Simply because the check remains uncashed, the owner does not lose his or her right to the money. The Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, as outlined in the West Virginia Code, Chapter 36, Article 8, empowers the State Treasurer to preserve and protect the property rights of the owner. However, the state is only custodian until the rightful owner or his or her heir makes a claim to the state.