Arkansas unclaimed savings bonds come back from 2 places: the Arkansas Auditor of State, for paper bonds it physically holds, and Treasury, through FS Form 1048, for all others. Arkansas passed a savings bond escheat law in 2015 (Ark.
Code 18-28-231), won a county judgment and a partial summary judgment in federal court, and then lost on appeal in LaTurner v. United States (August 13, 2019). Escheat means a state takes ownership of unclaimed property. We checked every Arkansas agency fact below on November 11, 2026.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the Auditor of State, Treasury or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search their records for you. Both routes below are free. The hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices shows how other states compare.
Does Arkansas Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
Arkansas can return a paper savings bond only if the Auditor of State's Unclaimed Property Division physically holds it. The state publishes no separate savings bond list. Owners search the general claim site, claimitar.gov. The table below summarizes the Arkansas picture (as of November 11, 2026).
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Arkansas Auditor of State, Unclaimed Property Division | Arkansas Auditor of State |
| Claim site | claimitar.gov (auditor.ar.gov/unclaimed-property redirects there, November 11, 2026) | Arkansas Auditor of State |
| Own savings bond search | None; Missouri runs the only verified one | State agency pages |
| Cost | Free | Arkansas Auditor of State; FS Form 1048 carries no Treasury fee |
| General statute | Ark. Code 18-28-201 et seq. | Lea (2017) |
| Savings bond statute | Ark. Code 18-28-231, March 20, 2015; current text not verified | Lea (2017) |
| State court | Washington County Circuit Court, judgment November 20, 2015 | Lea (2017) |
| Federal case | Lea, No. 1:16-cv-00043: won August 8, 2017, reversed in LaTurner August 13, 2019; certiorari denied October 5, 2020 | Court records |
| 2015 Treasury rule | The Arkansas State Auditor commented on 80 FR 80258 | Federal Register |
| Agreement with Treasury for bond records | None publicly known | No state or Treasury source (checked November 11, 2026) |
Missouri runs the only verified state name search for held bonds, so never assume Arkansas lists bonds. We found no public record showing whether the Auditor holds any paper savings bond today.
The Only Savings Bonds Arkansas Can Be Paid For: Paper Bonds It Holds
Federal rules let Arkansas be paid only for a paper savings bond it physically holds. Treasury may, at its discretion, pay a state for a bond at final maturity in its possession whose title the state holds by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, December 24, 2015).
Final maturity is the date a bond stops earning interest. The Arkansas State Auditor commented on that rule.
A bond that exists only on Treasury's records stays the owner's to claim from Treasury. No national name search exists for unclaimed savings bonds, so the state list is not a complete picture of what you may own.
How to Search Arkansas Unclaimed Property for a Savings Bond
Search Arkansas unclaimed property for a savings bond by entering the owner's name at claimitar.gov, the Auditor of State's claim site. Then ask the Unclaimed Property Division directly about any paper bond. General Arkansas unclaimed money is outside this page. The 4 steps are below.
- Open claimitar.gov yourself, never through a link in a letter, text or ad.
- Search the name exactly as printed on the bond, plus former and married names; how to read a paper savings bond shows where the name sits.
- Repeat the search for each co-owner or POD beneficiary named on the bond, and for a deceased owner.
- Call or write the Unclaimed Property Division if nothing matches, and ask whether it holds a paper savings bond in that name; if it does not, go to the Treasury route below.
How to Claim From the Arkansas Auditor of State
File a claim for property the Auditor holds through claimitar.gov or the Unclaimed Property Division; claiming from the state program costs nothing. The division sets its own proof and timing, so ask before sending any original bond.
Arkansas Auditor of State, Unclaimed Property Division
Claim site: claimitar.gov (auditor.ar.gov/unclaimed-property redirects there)
1401 W. Capitol Ave., Ste. 325, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 682-6000
Source: Arkansas Auditor of State and NAUPA's Arkansas listing, checked November 11, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the Auditor of State.
Cashing a Savings Bond Arkansas Returns to You
Cash a paper savings bond the Auditor returns like any other paper bond: at a bank that offers the service, or by mail to Treasury with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026). Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to (FS Publication 0022, Rev.
October 2022), and Series HH bonds go to Treasury only. FS Form 1522 needs a notary or certifying officer, a person authorized to verify your signature, only when the bonds' total current redemption value is more than $1,000.
The full steps are in our guide on how to cash savings bonds, by bank or by mail.
Arkansas does not set the bond's value; its series and issue date do.
If Arkansas Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a bond Arkansas does not hold from Treasury with FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026). Treasury searches its own records for lost, stolen or destroyed paper bonds and charges no fee.
Mail the FS Form 1048 claim for lost savings bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. A claim filed 6 years or more after final maturity needs the bond's serial number, the number printed on the bond (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)). LaTurner applied the same requirement to Arkansas.
TreasuryDirect states: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." It gives no reason for the closure.
Ark. Code 18-28-231: Arkansas's Savings Bond Escheat Law
Ark. Code 18-28-231, part of the Unclaimed Property Act that Arkansas amended on March 20, 2015, presumes a US savings bond abandoned once it "remains unclaimed for five (5) years after the date of maturity." It makes the bond escheat to the state two years later through a court action.
We quote the statute as the Court of Federal Claims quoted it in Lea v. United States (2017). The general act is Ark. Code 18-28-201 et seq., and 80 FR 80259 lists Arkansas among 8 states with 2015 bond title-escheat statutes. The table below gives the steps.
| Step | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bond "remains unclaimed for five (5) years after the date of maturity": presumed abandoned | Ark. Code 18-28-231, quoted in Lea, 132 Fed. Cl. 705 (2017) |
| 2 | "Two (2) years after becoming abandoned property": escheats to Arkansas, through a court action | same |
| 3 | No claim substantiated: judgment that "all property rights and legal title to and ownership of the United States savings bond or proceeds" vest "solely in the state" | same |
| 4 | Federal limit: preempted for bonds the state does not hold; Treasury pays a state only for a paper bond at final maturity in its possession, title by judgment, at its discretion | LaTurner, 933 F.3d 1354 (2019); 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88 |
Arkansas's savings bond escheat law (amended March 20, 2015) as quoted by the Court of Federal Claims, with the federal limit. Current statute text not verified on an official Arkansas source; as of November 11, 2026.
LaTurner preempted that result for bonds the state does not hold. We have not verified the current text or the Act number on an official Arkansas source, so treat the quoted wording as the 2017 court's reading.
The Washington County Escheat Judgment of November 20, 2015
The Washington County Circuit Court entered a judgment of escheatment for Arkansas on November 20, 2015, covering savings bonds that matured on or before October 16, 2008. It declared title in the state to bonds that Treasury's records tied to an Arkansas address and that the state did not physically hold.
After LaTurner, that claim fails for those bonds, and owners keep them. We did not find the court's docket number. Ask an Arkansas attorney about an individual estate or bond.
Lea v. United States: Arkansas's Savings Bond Case Against Treasury
Lea v. United States, Court of Federal Claims No. 1:16-cv-00043, is the Arkansas Auditor of State's suit asking Treasury to redeem the bonds covered by the 2015 judgment. Judge Elaine D. Kaplan ruled for Arkansas on August 8, 2017, and the Federal Circuit reversed in 2019.
In 132 Fed. Cl. 705 (2017), she denied the government's motion and granted Arkansas's partial summary judgment, then certified the ruling for interlocutory appeal, an appeal before the case ends, on December 1, 2017. The table below follows the case date by date.
| Date | Event | Court and number |
|---|---|---|
| March 20, 2015 | Arkansas amends its Unclaimed Property Act to make US savings bonds subject to title escheat | Ark. Code 18-28-231 (per Lea) |
| November 20, 2015 | Judgment of escheatment for bonds matured on or before October 16, 2008 | Washington County Circuit Court |
| August 8, 2017 | Arkansas's partial summary judgment granted, government's motion denied (Judge Elaine D. Kaplan) | Ct. Fed. Cl. No. 1:16-cv-00043; 132 Fed. Cl. 705 |
| December 1, 2017 | Certified for interlocutory appeal | same |
| August 13, 2019 | Reversed: federal law preempts the escheat laws | Fed. Cir. Nos. 2018-1509, 2018-1510; 933 F.3d 1354 |
| December 11, 2019 | Rehearing en banc denied | Fed. Cir. |
| December 19, 2019 | Judgment for the government (ECF 43) | Ct. Fed. Cl. No. 1:16-cv-00043 |
| October 5, 2020 | Certiorari denied | U.S. Supreme Court No. 19-1285 |
Lea v. United States and LaTurner v. United States, from court records, as of November 11, 2026.
The Federal Circuit decided Lea together with Kansas's case, LaTurner. After the reversal, the Court of Federal Claims entered judgment for the government on December 19, 2019 (ECF 43).
The Supreme Court denied certiorari, meaning it declined to review the case, on October 5, 2020 (No. 19-1285). See the Court of Federal Claims docket and the Supreme Court docket.
What LaTurner v. United States Decided for Arkansas Bond Owners
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019), held that federal law preempts the Arkansas and Kansas savings bond escheat laws. Preempts means federal law overrides the state law.
The court wrote: "First, we hold that federal law preempts the States' escheat laws. That means that the bonds belong to the original bond owners, not the States, and thus the States cannot redeem the bonds."
Even as owners, the states could not redeem bonds they did not hold without the serial numbers (31 CFR 315.29(c)). The panel was Judges Dyk (author), Chen and Hughes, in Nos. 2018-1509 and 2018-1510, and rehearing en banc was denied on December 11, 2019. Read the Federal Circuit opinion.
Owners claim from Treasury or, if Arkansas holds the paper bond, from Arkansas. The possession route in 31 CFR 315.88 remains.
The Court of Federal Claims order of November 30, 2020, which dismissed 10 other states' suits, distinguishes bonds a state possesses. Arkansas was not among those 10. Arkansas won partial summary judgment in 2017 and lost on appeal.
Arkansas Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not Arkansas law, decide who owns a bond after the owner dies. A surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary becomes the sole owner, and the bond is not part of the estate (31 CFR 353.70(b)(1), (c)(1)).
A POD (payable on death) beneficiary is the person named to receive the bond at the owner's death. A will or court order cannot defeat that result (31 CFR 353.20(a); Free v. Bland, 369 U.S. 663 (1962)). The rules for POD savings bonds apply the same way in Arkansas as elsewhere.
Heirs search the deceased owner's name at claimitar.gov, and a returned bond follows Treasury's estate rules.
A court must administer the estate if the decedent's savings bonds total more than $100,000 in redemption value at the date of death (31 CFR 353.71). FS Form 5336 (Rev.
April 2026) serves estates that are not administered, and FS Form 5394 (Rev. May 2026) serves closed estates and state small-estate procedures. The steps for savings bonds in probate are in our executor guide. Ask the estate's attorney about individual decisions.
Other States With Savings Bond Escheat Laws
Arkansas is one of 8 states that enacted a savings bond title-escheat statute in 2015, and 5 sibling pages cover related laws.
- Kansas unclaimed savings bonds: first statute, 2000, and co-party in LaTurner
- Missouri unclaimed savings bonds: 2014 statute, and the only verified state bond search
- Florida unclaimed savings bonds: Fla. Stat. 717.1382, 2015; suit dismissed November 30, 2020
- Georgia unclaimed savings bonds: 2015 statute
- South Carolina unclaimed savings bonds: 2015 statute; Loftis suit dismissed November 30, 2020
More Guides for Arkansas Bond Owners and Heirs
4 related guides cover situations the Arkansas search does not.
- Savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative
- Found old savings bonds
- Savings bond recovery services
- Help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
Arkansas Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
Is claimitAR.gov legit?
Yes: claimitar.gov is where the Arkansas Auditor of State's unclaimed property page (auditor.ar.gov/unclaimed-property) redirects, checked November 11, 2026. Type the address yourself. Treasury pays only the owner or the person entitled (31 CFR 353.39(b)), so no claim needs an upfront fee to a stranger; see our guide to savings bond scams.
Does Arkansas own my savings bonds after its 2015 court judgment?
No: the Federal Circuit held in 2019 that federal law preempts Arkansas's escheat law, so bonds Arkansas does not hold belong to their original owners. Savings bonds never expire and have no redemption deadline (EO 13968, 85 FR 83745). They stop earning interest at final maturity; see when savings bonds mature.
Who is in charge of unclaimed savings bonds in Arkansas?
The Arkansas Auditor of State runs the state's Unclaimed Property Division, at 1401 W. Capitol Ave., Ste. 325, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 682-6000 (as of November 11, 2026). The Auditor cannot search Treasury's records, and Treasury pays a state only for a paper bond it holds (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88).
Can Arkansas get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, Arkansas included, is publicly known to have signed the information-sharing agreement that 31 CFR 323.11(b) requires (as of November 11, 2026). Treasury shares bond owners' names and addresses only under such an agreement, and a state may use them only to locate owners, never to escheat them or publish them (89 FR 102735, December 18, 2024). No Social Security numbers or serial numbers are shared. See what states can receive from Treasury.
How do you find out if savings bonds were cashed?
For a paper EE or I bond, owners and co-owners ask Treasury by sending a signed letter that lists the bonds' serial numbers, without the bonds, to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. Ask your bank first, and see TreasuryDirect's death-of-owner page if a deceased owner held the bonds. Without serial numbers, FS Form 1048 starts the search. More routes are in our guide to find lost or missing savings bonds.
Can I still use Treasury Hunt to find Arkansas savings bonds?
No: Treasury Hunt has not been available since September 30, 2025. Use claimitar.gov for property Arkansas holds and FS Form 1048 for everything else. Learn why Treasury Hunt is closed.
Rules, court records and Arkansas agency pages checked November 11, 2026; see our methodology.