Assemblyman Scott Wilk and his representatives helped many reclaim money at the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber Latino Business Alliance Networking Breakfast Tuesday morning.

“The state of California has an account with about $3 billion in it. All money that belongs to residents of California and they don’t know it’s there,” said Wilk’s District Director Kris Hough.

About 30 Santa Clarita residents gathered at Margarita’s Mexican Grill to find out how they could get their unclaimed money back.

A lot of this money has come from banks and insurance companies and has been sent to the state of California and held there for years, Hough said. Many residents are unaware of this and have money waiting for them.

“It’s usually an insurance company or bank, they hold it for a certain number of years, then they try and contact the customer. Most of the time it’s because you moved and you didn’t forward your address to that company. If you don’t respond, they send the money to the state of California,” Hough said.

This money can easily be claimed on the Unclaimed Property State of California website by typing in your legal name, Hough said. If you have money waiting, you can receive a check in seven to 10 days.

“It’s rewarding when you check their information and you see they have money and you see their faces. They don’t expect it,” said Wilk’s Representative Patsy Ayala.

Money can be claimed at the Unclaimed Property State of California website. To find out more information, contact Assemblyman Scott Wilk’s office.

“It’s a lot like winning a lottery,” Hough said, “There was a homeless man at the senior center and we found him $125. He burst into tears. He had no home, he had nothing and we found him $125. It was like a miracle to him.”