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$15 Billion Held By California Right Now

There's a real chance the state owes you money — we find out for free.

California holds over $15B in unclaimed bank accounts, stock, and estate funds — one in three people who search find something. We search the records, trace the rightful owner, and file the claim. No fee unless you get paid.

No fee unless a claim is recovered — required by California CCP §1582 · Takes under a minute to check
State Controller's Office — Estates File SCANNING…
Property IDDecedentCountyBalance
E-40381— — — — — —Fresno$2,140
E-40382— — — — —Marin$860
E-40383MARGUERITE OSEIAlameda$71,204Verified
E-40384— — — —Kern$4,410
4 records reviewed 1 named heir identified
No fee unless a claim is recovered — required by CA law
Agreements structured to comply with CCP §1582
Not a government agency or affiliated with the State Controller
What We Search

Two record sets. One goal: reunite the property with the right person.

California holds unclaimed funds in two separate systems, each with its own rules for who can claim and by when.

Abandoned Property

Dormant accounts & assets

Bank accounts, uncashed checks, stock, wages, and safe deposit box contents left inactive and reported to the state — held in perpetuity, with no filing deadline.

  • Investigator fee cap 10% of recovery
  • Filing deadline None
  • Governed by CCP §1500–1582
Estates of Deceased Persons

Probate balances owed to heirs

County-probated estates with funds due a named heir — or no named heir at all — remitted to the state and subject to permanent escheat after a fixed window.

  • Investigator fee No statutory cap
  • Filing deadline 5–10 years, by case
  • Governed by Probate Code & CCP §1300
How A Claim Moves

From record match to payment, start to finish.

01

Record search

We search the SCO's abandoned property database and semi-annual Estates of Deceased Persons file for a match against your family name.

02

Verification & agreement

If a match holds up, we disclose the property type, reported amount, and holder in writing, and sign an agreement capped or fair per CCP §1582 — before any work is billed.

03

Documentation

We assemble the claim package: proof of relationship, ID, SSN verification, and any probate or heirship documents the SCO requires.

04

Filing & follow-up

We submit to the Unclaimed Property Division, track status through Received, Pended, and Approved, and respond to any requests for additional evidence.

05

Payment

The Controller issues payment directly to you and to us separately, split by the agreed percentage — never routed through a third party.

Ethan T. Rosenthal
Founder Ethan T. Rosenthal
About

Born and raised in the Bay Area. Trained to read the numbers no one else checks.

Ethan holds a B.S. in Finance from Santa Clara University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He spent over two years in FP&A and multi-entity accounting consulting at Armanino, managing monthly close, cash flow forecasting, and audit-ready reporting for clients across entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer goods — often serving as the primary financial contact for accounts with asset bases in the tens to hundreds of millions.

He now works in real estate project finance, where the work is the same discipline applied to physical assets: reconciling records across multiple entities, verifying capital contributions, and making sure every number ties out before it's reported. Rosenthal & Kin exists because that same discipline — reading probate accountings, verifying entitled amounts, and tracking down documentation most people never learn to navigate — is exactly what it takes to properly substantiate a claim.

2+ yrsFP&A & multi-entity accounting consulting
SCUB.S. Finance, Magna Cum Laude
Bay AreaBorn, raised, and based
Fee Transparency

What we charge, and when.

California law dictates most of this — we're not negotiating in the dark, and neither are you.

Abandoned Property
≤10%

The maximum we can charge on any recovered abandoned-property claim, set by CCP §1582. Payable only after the Controller approves and pays the claim — never before.

Estate / Probate Claims
Fixed in writing

No statutory cap applies, so the percentage is set in your signed agreement before we begin work — fully disclosed, and never adjusted after the fact.

We are never paid unless your claim is approved and funds are released by the State Controller's Office. Full disclosure of owner name, reported amount, property type, and holder is provided in writing before any agreement is signed, as required by CCP §1582.
Common Questions

Before you sign anything.

Is Rosenthal & Kin part of the State Controller's Office? +

No. We are an independent, privately registered investigator service. We are not a government agency, and this offer is not made by or endorsed by any governmental agency, per Business & Professions Code §17533.6.

Can I just file the claim myself, for free? +

Yes, always — property records are public and the state charges nothing to file directly. We're worth engaging when the research, documentation, or probate history is complex enough that doing it alone would cost you more time than our fee.

What do I have to pay upfront? +

Nothing. California law prohibits collecting a fee before the Controller approves and pays a claim. If anyone asks you to pay before that point, it isn't a lawful agreement.

How long does a claim take? +

The SCO reviews complete claim packages within 180 days of receiving all required documentation. Claims involving securities or complex heirship can take longer.

Start Here

Tell us the name you're searching for.

A free, no-obligation search of the abandoned property and estates records against your family name — with no fee unless we recover something.

Response time1–2 business days
CoverageAll 58 California counties
Cost to searchFree
Directethan@rosenthalandkin.com

Your information is used only to evaluate your case and is never sold or shared with third parties.