ALBANY – New York State’s Comptroller wants to return unclaimed funds to their rightful owners.

Last week, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced the state has $16 billion of unclaimed funds, and they are conducting an outreach this summer to find the money’s rightful owners.

DiNapoli says his office is returning unclaimed funds at the rate of $1.5 million a day.

The funds come from old bank accounts, utility deposits, uncashed checks, insurance claims, stocks and other sources that have been dormant for a number of years.

Some accounts hold money that has been lost and forgotten since the 1940s.

Starting July 26, DiNapoli’s staff plans to attend community events across the state to help residents search for lost and forgotten money.

A complete schedule of events in July and August are posted on the state’s website.

Those who cannot make it to the events can search for and claim their money by using the online claiming system or by calling 1-800-221-9311.