Heidelberg Township Administrator Dawn Didra announced recently that more than $12,000 in unclaimed property has been returned to Heidelberg Township.

The $12,601.44 returned to Heidelberg Township includes four individual properties ranging in value from $546.26 to $5,594.44. The oldest property dates back to 2010, while the most recent is from 2015. Properties returned include funds from a bearer bond principal, dividends, underlying shares, and a utility refund/deposit.

“These are dollars that belong to the township, but for whatever reason, the township never received them,” Didra said. “These funds will be deposited into the general fund and will help cover the costs of projects undertaken by the township this year to enhance the lives of our residents. The township encourages residents to check if they have any unclaimed property by visiting the Pennsylvania Treasury website.”

The state is working to return more than $5 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners, including more than $63 million owed to Lehigh County residents. More than one in ten Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth more than $1,000.

Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance policies, contents of forgotten safe deposit boxes and more. State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to Treasury after three years of dormancy.

To learn more about unclaimed property or to search Treasury’s database, visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.