A safety net for your estates’ unclaimed funds
Money keeps reaching the State after someone dies, sometimes years after the estate closes. Send us a decedent’s name and we’ll tell you within 48 hours whether New York is holding anything.
One search at intake isn’t enough
Most estate offices search the Comptroller’s list once, early. That’s the right first step. But money keeps arriving at the State after it.
In New York, a bank deposit is turned over after three years unclaimed. A dividend check goes uncashed. A policy payment is reported years after the death. So an estate that came up clean in the first month can have funds waiting by year three, or after the file is closed.
When that happens, nobody is watching. Someone has to notice it, confirm it and file the claim. That’s tedious work for a law office, and it’s easy to miss.
How it works
1. You send a name
The decedent’s full name and last known addresses. The county and file number help, if you have them.
2. We check within 48 hours
We tell you whether New York’s unclaimed funds list shows property in that name, and what kind.
3. The fiduciary decides
If there’s something, you introduce us to the executor or administrator. If they hire us, they sign the Comptroller’s standard fee agreement with us.
4. We do the claim work
We gather the documents, file with the Comptroller and follow up until it’s paid. You’re copied throughout.
We work across the life of an estate: open estates, estates that have been open for years, and closed estates where funds surface later. We also take the hard searches, such as old addresses, name variations and business accounts.
Try us on one estate
Send us a decedent’s name. Within 48 hours, we’ll tell you whether New York’s unclaimed funds list shows property in that name. There’s no cost and no obligation.
The State’s online list shows items of $20 or more and doesn’t show amounts, so we can’t tell you the value up front. We’ll tell you what’s listed and what kind of property it is.
What it costs
Your firm: nothing. The firm pays nothing and receives nothing from us. The cooperation is non-exclusive, so you’re free to work with anyone else, or do the work yourself.
The estate: a share of what’s recovered. Our fee is a percentage of the funds recovered, never more than 15%, the limit set by New York’s Abandoned Property Law. Nothing is due up front. The fee is paid only from recovered funds, and the Surrogate’s Court can review it. If nothing is recovered, the estate owes nothing.
Built to keep your firm in the clear
- No money changes hands with your firm. No referral fees, no revenue share, nothing in kind.
- No fee sharing. Our agreement is directly with the executor or administrator, on the Comptroller’s own form, notarized.
- No legal work. We don’t give legal advice, and we don’t prepare court petitions, pleadings or estate instruments. Any court step stays with you.
- We work through you. We reach the fiduciary with your introduction and keep you copied from start to finish.
- Your client is told the claim can be filed for free. Every solicitation and agreement carries the State’s free-claim notice.
- The fee is capped and reviewable. Never more than 15%, and subject to the Surrogate’s review.
Questions from estate attorneys
Can’t the estate claim the funds from the State for free?
Yes. The Comptroller holds the funds indefinitely and charges no fee, and the estate’s representative can file directly. We say so on everything we send. We earn our fee on the work: finding funds after the first search, watching closed estates, and handling claims with many items, old addresses or name variations.
Do you pay referral fees?
No. We don’t pay your firm anything, and your firm doesn’t pay us. Our fee agreement is with the executor or administrator.
What if a claim needs a court step?
We tell you what the Comptroller is asking for, such as a recertified certificate of appointment or a successor fiduciary. That work is yours. We don’t prepare court papers.
Who signs the agreement?
The executor or administrator, on the Comptroller’s standard fee agreement form, notarized. It states our percentage, which is never more than 15%.
Can you help with an estate that’s already closed?
Yes. Funds often surface after an estate closes. We can check closed estates and tell you what we find. If the claim needs the estate reopened or a new fiduciary appointed, that court work stays with you.
What do you need for the 48-hour check?
The decedent’s full name and last known addresses. The county and Surrogate’s file number help, if you have them. We don’t need Social Security numbers or financial records for the check.
Who we are
Heritage Asset Services LLC recovers New York unclaimed funds for estates. We’re a small firm, and we work with estate attorneys and the fiduciaries they represent. Founder Yoni Lebovits is your contact for every file.
Start with a free check, or ask us anything
Tell us a little about your practice. If you’d like a free 48-hour check, add a decedent’s name below.
Thank you for your response. ✨
Please don’t send Social Security numbers or account numbers through this form.
Yoni Lebovits, Founder
Heritage Asset Services LLC
(848) 420-9266
1 Industrial Way W, Bldg E, Ste K, Eatontown, NJ 07724-4227
Abandoned funds held by the State can be obtained directly from the Office of the State Comptroller by the owner of such funds without paying a fee. These funds are held indefinitely by the Office of the State Comptroller. For more information, contact the Office of the State Comptroller at 1-800-221-9311 or http://www.osc.ny.gov/unclaimed-funds.
