Unlike some states, Oklahoma's unclaimed property program works as intended

Unclaimed property includes bank accounts, security deposits, overpayments, royalties, rebates, and stocks and bonds that are turned over to the treasurer's office when the businesses holding them lose track of the owners. The fair appearances are highly visible examples of what the office actually does year-round. Its website makes the unclaimed property division easy to find, and the treasurer's office occasionally uses tabloids in newspapers to reach out to Oklahomans. During the 2012 fiscal year, about $18.5 million in property was given back to its owners.

Residents in other states aren't as fortunate. Treasurer Ken Miller notes that unclaimed property funds comprise the third-largest source of state revenue in Delaware. In an effort to help their state recover from the economic downturn that began last decade, lawmakers in Colorado amended statutes to make more unclaimed property revenue available to patch holes in the budget. More than half the states direct unclaimed property proceeds to their general funds.