PITTSBURGH -- Pennsylvania is holding on to a lot of unclaimed money, and some of it may be yours.

The commonwealth's unclaimed property fund has a total of about $1.5 billion -- including $72 million in Allegheny County alone -- that you either forgot about or never knew about, like inactive bank accounts, uncashed paychecks, CDs, utility deposits and older life insurance policies.

You can check for yourself by calling the Pennsylvania Treasury Department at 800-222-2046 or search the online list at www.patreasury.org.

Some people may be owed big amounts, while others are entitled to just a few bucks. Just log on to the Web site and see if your name is on the list.

"It's required that companies are to turn over any dormant property -- we call it property, but it really refers to money -- that sits dormant for a period of five years," said Dianne Taylor, of the treasury department.

There is also a Web site at MissingMoney.com that allows you to search other states.

Whatever the amount may be, it's always free to claim the money. But if you're not careful, some companies may try to charge you. Call 4 Action reporter Aaron Saykin said it's important to know that you should not have to pay for any of these services.

If MissingMoney.com is charging you for a different state, Call 4 Action recommends trying to find the money through that state on your own, either online or by phone.

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