The odds are astronomical. A cashier’s check put in a mailbox and no one spotted it. Now, 35 years later, a family is trying to cash the check, but the funds are nowhere to be found. How can you track it down? Lets give Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser a shot.
Jackie Quintana has been a postal worker for nearly 30 years and has seen a lot, but nothing like this.
Jackie Quintana: “It is just so ironic. My head is still spinning every time I think about it.”
Let’s back up. In 1981, Jackie and Joseph’s parents were living in Davie when they sold a property they owned in upstate New York.
Jackie Quintana: “The check was made out to my father Arthur Verra for $11,629 and it was a final payment owed on a property that he sold to a friend of his.”
Their attorney drew up a cashier’s check for $11,696 and typed out a nice letter.
Jackie Quintana: “He even apologized for the delay and sending of the letter. Little did he know how much the delay would be.”
The envelope containing the check was mailed on Feb 28, 1981 and the postal service put it in the mailbox of the Davie condo where the Verra’s lived. But it was not visible.
Jackie Quintana: “It just gives me goosebumps thinking it was there all that time with everyone thinking he had not paid it.”
And it brings up a question, why didn’t their father contact the lawyer to ask where his money was? Pride, Joseph said.
Joseph Verra: “And I think he just developed an attitude over the years that it was beneath him to try to chase someone for money. I think that hurt him even deeper in that the fact that it was not just a business associate, it was a friend.”
And so for years, the cashier’s check sat there in a back corner of the box.
Jackie Quintana: “What are the chances that it would be my parents letter stuck in the crease of the cluster mailbox for so many years?”
After Arthur passed away, the condo was sold and the new owner spotted the envelope.
Jackie and Joseph tried to contact the lawyer who wrote the check, but he had passed away.
They also tried to get the money from the bank it was drawn on, but Mohawk National Bank had merged with State Bank, which was bought out by Norstar, which became Fleet Bank, which merged with Federal Fleet and was then bought by Bank of America.
There was no record of the $11,692.
Jackie would like to see the money recovered. Not for her, but for her parents memory.
Jackie Quintana: “It’s just clearing it up for my parents if they were ever watching… if you believe in something like that.”
Well Howard, is a 35-year-old cashier’s check still valid?
Howard Finkelstein: “Yes, it is. If the account is still open, they can then re-issue a check for the Verra family. However, the account has closed and the money if it was still there should have been turned over to a state fund to hold. If its not, you could sue the lawyer’s estate, but the statue of limitations is six years in New York where the check was issued. Meaning, unless a state fund is holding that money for the Verra family, they are out of luck.”
We truly looked everywhere. John Angerosa is the attorney who wrote the check in 1981. His son told us his late father didn’t leave a trust account and he didn’t know where the money went.
The state of New York has accounts for lawyers who owed clients money and it was not there.
The states unclaimed fund has a check for a John Angerosa, but a spokesperson told us it was for a much smaller amount.
The nearly $12,000 for Arthur Verra was not in New York or Florida’s unclaimed fund. But, we did find money from two insurance policies for Arthur Verra in New York for Jackie and Joseph to claim.
But officially there is no record of the funds from the 35-year-old cashiers check.
Jackie Quintana: “Everyone has been so kind and the follow up phone calls with Patrick and you calling me this week. Just a very, very positive experience.”
Jackie is in the process of claiming the insurance policies left for her dad, but she is not giving up on finding the $11,696.
Jackie Quintana: “Maybe someone will contact us who has knowledge of the situation, or will give us some advice on how to follow up.”
That would be good, because we have tried. Who knows what happened to that money.
Remember, if you think you left money somewhere or maybe a late relative is owed money, by law, the banks have to turn it over to the state if it’s not claimed. If you think you might have money somewhere in America, we have the link to each states’ unclaimed funds. It’s at wsvn.com under this Help Me Howard. Go check, you might get a nice surprise from a late relative.
Take numbers. Lost money fighting a problem? Want to check for help? Don’t get lost in the mail. Call us. Hopefully we can find a way to cash in. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser. 7 News.
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Link to Every States Unclaimed Property Fund https://www.unclaimed.org
Link to Florida’s Unclaimed Funds https://www.fltreasurehunt.org.
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