Residents in St. Joseph County and surrounding counties picked up $2.7 million in unclaimed assets in 2008 but millions are still waiting to be claimed, according to a news release from the Indiana attorney general’s office.

The state maintains a database of unclaimed and forgotten assets, which residents can claim at www.IndianaUnclaimed.com.

Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages and money from savings and checking accounts. Depending on the account, financial institutions and other holders are required to turn over assets in accounts that haven’t had any activity in five to seven years. Unclaimed property doesn’t include abandoned vehicles, real estate and other similar items.

St. Joseph, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Pulaski and Starke counties claimed $2.7 million in 2008. Among those counties, a total of $16.9 million is still waiting for who owns it, according to the attorney general’s office.

Since 2005, more than $150 million in lost and forgotten assets has been returned to state residents.

“Our IndianaUnclaimed.com campaign has encouraged Hoosiers to check the online database of lost and forgotten assets that have been turned over to the state,” said Attorney General Steve Carter. “We encourage Hoosiers to check the database regularly and to check for friends and family members, and we believe that they are doing just that.”

The unclaimed property Web site also has an online auction area, where residents can bid on unclaimed items found in safe deposit boxes. After an item is sold through the auction, the money is collected and held for the owner.

The database is available at www.IndianaUnclaimed.com or through the Unclaimed Property Division at (866) 462-5246.