Are you a Collection Agency?

No. We are not a collection agency. In fact, you could say we are the opposite of a collection agency. A call from us means that we have found money or other assets that you are entitled to claim. In other words, someone owes you money or assets. Gray Star Financial specializes in locating unclaimed and lost assets, contacting the individuals and businesses with the right to claim those assets, and assisting them in completing the claims process. A call or letter from us is great news!

What does “unclaimed or lost asset” mean?

The phrase refers to anything owed to you or your family that you are unaware exists. There are a number of reasons you or your family could be owed money you don’t know about. The assets could be the result of property, stocks or bonds, insurance policies, royalties, rentals, wages, tax refunds-or a number of other possibilities. By the time we contact you, most assets have been reduced to a monetary figure and are being held by a variety of agencies or parties. Every year Gray Star Financial locates millions of dollars being held in individuals’ names. In most cases the laws regarding these funds don’t require the party holding the assets to make more than a cursory attempt at locating the beneficiary, meaning that without our research that money would go unclaimed.

How did you find me?

When we locate unclaimed or lost assets for people, we go to great lengths to make sure they receive them. We have highly sophisticated software developed for that reason, and subscribe to several national and international databases as well. Our investigators search public records such as voter registrations, telephone directories, driver’s records, birth and death certificates, change of address filings, marriage and divorce filings and military registers as well as genealogical and historical records. In one case, we posted a billboard to locate an individual entitled to $2 million.

How did my assets get lost?

Assets may be the result of inheritance, lost payments or returns on property, businesses or insurance policies, etc., purchased years ago by a member of your family. Over time, mistakes get made on names and addresses and people move, get married, use nicknames, or change their names for other reasons so that it becomes hard for entities to locate beneficiaries. In some cases laws allow entities to invest the assets and eventually absorb those that remain unclaimed, there is little incentive for the asset holder to make more than a cursory attempt at locating beneficiaries.

Who has my lost assets?

Any number of different entities could be holding your assets. Gray Star Financial usually locates lost or unclaimed assets being held by entities other than state abandoned property offices, so they cannot be located through an Internet search. Once you return the completed paperwork, a claims professional will be able to provide more specific information.

How do I get started?

If we have already contacted you, the first step is to complete and return the contingency agreement. This agreement spells out the terms and conditions in easy-to-understand terms and provides Global Discoveries with the authority to act on your behalf while working on the claim. After we receive all the required paperwork, a claims professional will contact you with any further needs and keep you up to date on the status of your claim.

How long will the process take?

That can vary depending on the type and complexity of your claim or the entity holding the assets. The claims process can take between six months to eighteen months to complete once the claim is filed, but there are cases that take several years to complete. After receiving all the necessary paperwork, your claims professional will be able to provide a more accurate timeline based on your particular claim.

We will do everything possible to expedite your claim, but in many cases there are no laws mandating when asset holders must release the assets, so the asset holder dictates the length of your wait. Remember, we operate on a contingency-fee basis and require no payment until your assets are returned, so it is in our best interest to move as quickly as possible.

Is there a time limit to claim any lost or unclaimed funds?

There is no easy answer to that question. Every claim is unique, and asset holders are regulated by a variety of different laws. Assets held by the State Abandoned Property Offices usually have either lengthy or no time limits, but those are not the assets we normally locate and recover. Many assets we locate have fairly narrow time windows in which you can file a claim, and some asset holders are allowed to absorb the unclaimed asset after that time period expires. When we locate assets and contact potential claimants, we inform them of any relevant claims deadlines. Whether there is a deadline or not, the claims process can be lengthy, so we advise that you return all your paperwork as promptly as possible. The sooner we are able to recover your assets, the sooner you will be able to put them to work for you.

Can I claim these assets on my own?

If Gray Star Financial notified you of lost or unclaimed assets it may be possible to claim them on your own. However, if locating lost assets and filing and following claims were easy, we would not be in business. The process of locating and claiming assets is challenging and time consuming and has taken years for us to perfect. We’ve found that even people who have located assets on their own give up in frustration because the claims process is often convoluted and confusing. Because we know the process and have developed solid relationships with asset holders, we can expedite your claim and help you recover assets faster, while avoiding unnecessary expenses and possible mistakes.

How does Gray Star Financial make money in this process?

We work on a contingency-fee basis with all terms spelled out in a written contract signed by Gray Star Financial and you. We advance all expenses incurred in the claims process, so you pay no upfront costs. Once assets are recovered, we deduct any expenses incurred from the total and you pay us the percentage from the remaining amount, as agreed upon in our written contract. Deducting expenses from the total amount recovered gives you added assurance that we will keep those costs to a minimum. Finally, in the uncommon instance that we are unable to recover your assets, we absorb all expenses and you owe nothing.

Where we find Unclaimed or Lost Assets?

Since its inception, Gray Star Financial has uncovered countless sources of unclaimed or lost assets, many of which remain hidden until the claiming rights expire. Regulations do not usually require all asset custodians to make their lists public or to make more than a cursory attempt to locate entitled owners. These asset sources include, but are not limited to:

• Forgotten savings and checking accounts

• Uncashed or lost checks/warrants

• Securities

• Royalties

• Interest or dividend payments

• Life insurance death benefits or payouts

• Income tax refunds or overpayments

• Property tax refunds or overpayments

• Employee wage or pension payments

• Surplus proceeds from a governmental auction of real or personal property

• Inheritance payout from a deceased relative or love one

• Funds due the beneficiary of a loan or the creditor of a judgment

• Many other sources

Our service is to uncover these concealed assets and track down the heirs, private parties, and organizations with the right to claim them. As you can imagine, the claims process is complex and is often compounded by an asset holder’s reluctance to release assets they might otherwise be allowed to absorb after a certain time.

If you have been contacted by a Gray Star Financial representative it is because we have determined you are entitled to unclaimed or lost assets. Our 95 percent success rate in recovering assets from the claims we file speaks to the level of certainty we have in your right to these funds. In addition, we work on a contingency fee basis and receive no money for our work until you received your settlement.

We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions.

What is the Asset Recovery Process?

1.Locating Assets: Gray Star Financial's highly trained individuals and proprietary software locate dormant assets and unclaimed funds from a multitude of sources.

2.Identifying Parties Due Assets or Funds (Parties of Interest): A wholly separate workgroup within our company reviews volumes of private and public documents to determine which parties, businesses, individuals, and estates have rights to the assets or funds.

3.Locating Clients: Our highly trained team of research professionals, skip tracers and private investigators use every tool available to locate our clients. We utilize several subscription databases, online public record databases and have even knocked on the doors of relatives and former neighbors to find our clients. This is the most time-consuming and costly part of the recovery process and can take from one month to several years.

4.Contact by Claims Manager: Each potential client is assigned to one of our claims managers. The assigned claims manager contacts the party of interest and determines the most effective way of claiming the funds. The claims manager then prepares a simple contingency agreement outlining the terms of the transaction.

5.Document preparation: Once you agree to become a client of Gray Star Financial, our team of claims processors prepares all documents, pleadings, declarations and affidavits required to document the rights to the assets or funds.

6.Delivery of documents to client: Our claims processors then arrange to have the documents delivered to our party of interest to be executed and returned to Gray Star Financial.

7.Claim assembly and quality control: Once the documents are returned to our claims processing department, the claim package is assembled. It then goes through two additional quality control levels before it is filed with the holder of the assets or funds.

8.Notification that the claim has been filed: A confirmation letter is sent informing our client when the claim was submitted and approximately when to expect payment.

9.Communication and Follow Up: Our claims processing team receives and answers all correspondences and questions from the asset holders and ensures that all timelines are met. In the rare event that outside legal assistance is required to receive payment, Gray Star Financial handles all aspects of the process and advances all expenses.

10.Determination and Payment of Claim: We will notify you when the asset holder approves your claim. Once those funds are received, we will forward a check to you with a final accounting and customer survey.

Why Choose Us?

Gray Star Financial is the nation’s premier unclaimed assets location and recovery company, serving businesses and individuals worldwide. Each week our expert team of research analysts uncover millions of dollars of unclaimed or lost assets that their rightful owners, beneficiaries, or heirs never knew existed. We view the recovery process as a partnership, with our professionals providing efficient, straightforward assistance from beginning to end.

When you select Gray Star Financial to recover lost or unclaimed assets on your behalf, we manage the entire process and handle every detail. Once we receive your signed authorization, we gather all necessary information and documentation to complete the required forms and submit the claim to the asset custodian(s).

• Our more than dedicated professionals work full time to recover lost or unclaimed assets for our clients.

• We work on a contingency-fee basis.  There are no up front fees or costs until we successfully collect the funds that are rightfully yours.

• In the uncommon event that a claim is unsuccessful, you owe us nothing.

• We have established relationships with asset custodians that allow us to expedite the claims process.

• Our expert IT department features proprietary software tools that enable us to bring together unclaimed or lost assets with the individuals and organizations rightfully entitled to them.

• Relationships with attorneys and other trusted professionals who provide assistance, when needed, help overcome roadblocks that stand between you and your unclaimed or lost assets.

It’s important to remember that you pay us nothing until we successfully recover your assets. We cover all costs until the claim is settled, taking no fees and asking you for no money before you receive your settlement. That also means that you pay us nothing until and unless we are successful in recovering the assets.

As we begin working together, we encourage you to ask any questions you might have. We will check in with you throughout the process to give you updates on our progress, but also welcome your calls at any time.

If you have been contacted by a Gray Star Financial representative it is only because we have determined you are entitled to unclaimed or lost assets. Our 95 percent success rate in recovering assets from the claims we file speaks to the level of certainty we have in your right to these funds. In addition, we work on a contingency fee basis and receive no money for our work until we are successful in recovering the assets.