By Todd Wineburner

State Treasurer Dan Rutherford says over 129 million dollars in unclaimed property found its way back to its rightful owners in 2012--a 27 percent increase over 2011. Rutherford says he's committed to clearing the state's vaults and finding the rightful owners of unclaimed property, not just because people deserve to have access their own possessions, but because it puts money back into the state's economy. 

Rutherford says the unclaimed property program is growing thanks to the development of the state's I-cash website. He says it's an improvement over the old system because it taps into the name recognition of the "I" prefix. Additionally, Rutherford says the website's ".gov" extension gives it additional credibility. 

Claims in 2012 ranged from a few dollars to one claim that returned 9 million dollars that an individual lost control of in a business transaction. To check for unclaimed property, visit icash.illinois.gov.