Maine unclaimed savings bonds are claimed free in one of 2 ways: from the Maine Office of the State Treasurer's unclaimed property program when the state holds the paper bond, or from Treasury with FS Form 1048 when it does not. We checked every Maine fact below on November 11, 2026.
Maine's law, 33 M.R.S. 2072, presumes a savings bond abandoned 3 years after its final maturity. Escheat is the court process by which a state takes ownership of unclaimed property, and we found no Maine lawsuit over savings bonds.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the Treasurer's office, Treasury, TreasuryDirect or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search their records. Both routes are free. The hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices shows how other states compare.
Does Maine Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
Maine can hold a savings bond only as a paper certificate it has physically received, and only that bond can be returned to the owner or paid to the state, at Treasury's discretion.
The Maine Office of the State Treasurer runs the unclaimed property program under the Maine Revised Unclaimed Property Act (33 M.R.S. ch. 45).
Federal law sets that limit (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88). We cannot tell whether Maine holds any particular bond, and the table below summarizes the Maine picture as of November 11, 2026.
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program | Maine Office of the State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property (maineunclaimedproperty.gov; maine.gov/treasurer) | Maine Office of the State Treasurer |
| General law | Maine Revised Unclaimed Property Act, 33 M.R.S. ch. 45 | legislature.maine.gov |
| Savings bond section | 33 M.R.S. 2072, "When United States savings bonds are presumed abandoned"; history note "PL 2019, c. 498, sec. 22 (NEW)" | legislature.maine.gov |
| Presumption | Last known address in Maine; unclaimed "3 years after its date of final maturity" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| Court named | "Kennebec County Superior Court or in any other court of competent jurisdiction" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| Claim after escheat | Administrator may pay; may subtract the State's costs in securing full title | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| Treasury's 2015 list | Maine is among 8 states with 2015 savings bond escheat statutes | 80 FR 80259 |
| Lawsuits | None found | Court records (checked November 11, 2026) |
| Cost of a claim | Free | Site rule: state claims are free; Treasury charges no fee for FS Form 1048 |
| Agreement with Treasury for bond records | None publicly known | No state or Treasury source (checked November 11, 2026) |
Missouri runs the only verified live state name search for held paper bonds (checked November 11, 2026). No public site searches Treasury's records by name, so there is no national name search for unclaimed savings bonds either.
Paper Bonds That Reach Maine From Abandoned Safe Deposit Boxes
States hold paper savings bonds mainly from abandoned safe deposit boxes, which banks turn over with the box contents, and the bond stays registered to its owner while the state keeps it. We found no Maine safe deposit box rule, so this describes states in general.
Bonds that exist only on Treasury's records, and all electronic bonds in TreasuryDirect accounts, are never in Maine's hands. Treasury handles those, and the FS Form 1048 route below covers lost, stolen or destroyed paper bonds.
How to Search Maine Unclaimed Property for a Savings Bond
Search Maine unclaimed property for a savings bond by entering the owner's name on the Treasurer's search site, maineunclaimedproperty.gov, and claim any bond listed there. The 4 steps are below. A bond may not appear, because Maine holds only paper bonds it has received.
- Type maineunclaimedproperty.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, each POD beneficiary and a deceased owner.
- File a claim for each match and keep a copy of it.
How to Claim a Savings Bond From the Maine State Treasurer
Claim a savings bond from the Maine Office of the State Treasurer by filing its unclaimed property claim for each match; the office sets the proof it needs. As a rule, state claims cost nothing, and Treasury charges no fee for its own forms.
This page states no document list, payment method, processing time, phone number or mailing address, because we have not verified them. Ask the office before you send any original bond.
Maine Office of the State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property
Search site: maineunclaimedproperty.gov
Agency page: maine.gov/treasurer
Law: Maine Revised Unclaimed Property Act, 33 M.R.S. ch. 45; savings bonds: 33 M.R.S. 2072
Source: Maine Office of the State Treasurer and legislature.maine.gov, checked November 11, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the Treasurer's office.
Cashing a Savings Bond Maine Returns to You
A paper savings bond Maine returns is cashed 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 H and HH bonds, plus Series A to D, F, G, J and K, go to Treasury only.
FS Form 1522 needs a certified signature only when the bonds' total current redemption value is more than $1,000. A matured bond keeps its final value while a state holds it, and our calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, prices it. The full steps for how to cash savings bonds cover both routes.
If Maine Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a bond Maine 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 the form is free.
TreasuryDirect states: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." No online name search replaced it, and Treasury gave no reason for the closure. A state search covers only the property that state holds, so it cannot stand in for Treasury Hunt.
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)).
33 M.R.S. 2072: When Maine Presumes a Savings Bond Abandoned
33 M.R.S. 2072 presumes a US savings bond abandoned when the owner's last known address is in Maine and the bond "has remained unclaimed for 3 years after its date of final maturity". Final maturity is the date a bond stops earning interest.
The section reaches "those lost, stolen or destroyed bonds registered to persons with last known addresses in this State". An escheat action goes to the Kennebec County Superior Court or another competent court (table below, as of November 11, 2026).
| Step | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A US savings bond is presumed abandoned if the owner's last known address is in Maine and it "has remained unclaimed for 3 years after its date of final maturity" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| 2 | Reach: includes "those lost, stolen or destroyed bonds registered to persons with last known addresses in this State" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| 3 | Escheat action: "in the Kennebec County Superior Court or in any other court of competent jurisdiction" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| 4 | After escheat, a person may claim; the administrator may pay and "may subtract any expenses and costs incurred by the State in securing full title" | 33 M.R.S. 2072 |
| 5 | Federal limit: Treasury pays a state only for a paper bond at final maturity in its possession, with title by judgment, at its discretion; never for lost, stolen or destroyed bonds the state does not hold | 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; LaTurner (2019) |
Maine's savings bond law, 33 M.R.S. 2072 (history note PL 2019, c. 498, sec. 22), with the federal limit, as of November 11, 2026.
The section carries the history note "PL 2019, c. 498, sec. 22 (NEW)", while Treasury listed Maine among 8 states with 2015 savings bond escheat statutes (80 FR 80259).
We state no effective date and no text of an earlier 2015 law, because we have not verified either. Read the full text of 33 M.R.S. 2072 yourself.
Which Paper Savings Bonds Have Passed Maine's Three-Year Mark
Every paper bond of Series A to K, E and H and every Savings Note has passed Maine's three-year mark, along with Series EE issued January 1980 to November 1993 and Series HH issued January 1980 to November 2003 (as of November 12, 2026). The table below lists each series, computed for that date.
| Series (paper) | Issued | Final maturity | Passed by November 12, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, B, C, D | March 1935 to April 1941 | 10 years | All (by 1954) |
| Series E savings bonds | May 1941 to June 1980 | 40 or 30 years (note 1) | All (by June 2013) |
| F, G, J, K | 1941 to April 1957 | 12 years | All (by 1972) |
| Series H savings bonds | June 1952 to December 1979 | 29 years 8 months or 30 years; last December 2009 | All (by December 2012) |
| US Savings Notes | May 1967 to October 1970 | 30 years (May 1997 to October 2000) | All (by October 2003) |
| Series EE savings bonds | January 1980 to December 2011 | 30 years | Issues of January 1980 to November 1993 (note 2) |
| Series HH savings bonds | January 1980 to August 2004 | 20 years; all by August 2024 | Issues of January 1980 to November 2003 (note 3) |
| Series I savings bonds | From September 1998 | 30 years; first in September 2028 | None before September 2031 |
Notes: (1) 40 years for issues of May 1941 to November 1965, 30 years for December 1965 to June 1980; every Series E bond stopped earning by June 2010. (2) The mark falls from January 2013 to December 2044; December 1993 issues reach it on December 1, 2026. (3) The mark falls from January 2003 to August 2027.
Maine's presumption also needs a last known address in Maine. Final maturity rules from 31 CFR and TreasuryDirect; EE dates from the Fiscal Data Savings Bonds Value Files (November 2026), https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/savings-bond-value-files/. Computed for November 12, 2026.
The mark is when the presumption arises, not the date a court takes title, and it applies only to a Maine last known address.
It does not move the bond, change its federal owner or stop the owner from cashing it. Paper Series I bonds first reach final maturity in September 2028, so none passes the mark before September 2031.
Claiming Proceeds After Maine Escheats a Savings Bond
A person who claims a bond or its proceeds after Maine escheats it files with the administrator, who may pay the claim and "may subtract any expenses and costs incurred by the State in securing full title".
The statute says "may", so payment is not guaranteed. We found no Maine escheat judgment; ask a Maine attorney about a disputed claim.
What Federal Courts and Treasury Rules Allow Maine to Do
Federal law lets Maine 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).
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019), held that federal law preempts, meaning overrides, state escheat of bonds the state does not hold, and that serial numbers are required to redeem them. That means the reach of 2072 to lost, stolen or destroyed bonds does not bind Treasury.
We found no Maine lawsuit over savings bonds. Maine was not among the 10 states whose Court of Federal Claims suits were dismissed on November 30, 2020, the Third Circuit appellants of 2012 or the LaTurner amici. It joined the joint state comments on Treasury's 2015 rule (80 FR 80259 to 80260).
Maine Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not Maine 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 it.
A will or state 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 Maine as elsewhere, and the beneficiary owns the bond outright.
Heirs search the deceased owner's name on the Treasurer's site and claim as heirs. A returned bond then follows Treasury's estate rules, and the office sets the proof it asks heirs for. Ask before you send any original bond.
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. Ask the estate's attorney about Maine small-estate rules.
Paid Helpers and Third Parties in Maine Claims
Treasury pays a savings bond only to its owner or another person entitled to it (31 CFR 353.39(b)), so a paid helper in a Maine claim never receives the bond's money. No Treasury rule caps a helper's fee in any state, and we state no Maine locator rule.
On a claim a state holds, ClaimMyBonds takes paid work only where that state's rules allow it, with any state fee cap applying to our fees. See savings bond recovery services.
Other States With a Three-Year Savings Bond Rule
Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Missouri also start their savings bond clocks 3 years after maturity, and New Hampshire's statute sits on the same 2015 Treasury list as Maine's; 4 sibling pages cover them.
- Kentucky unclaimed savings bonds
- Pennsylvania unclaimed savings bonds
- Missouri unclaimed savings bonds
- New Hampshire unclaimed savings bonds
More Guides for Maine Bond Owners and Heirs
6 related guides cover situations the Maine search does not.
- Savings bond lookup
- Savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative
- Found old savings bonds
- Savings bond co-owner rules
- Savings bonds in probate
- Help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
Maine Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
How long before a savings bond is considered abandoned in Maine?
Maine presumes a savings bond abandoned 3 years after its date of final maturity when the owner's last known address is in Maine (33 M.R.S. 2072). The presumption starts a state process; it does not end your right to cash the bond (as of November 11, 2026).
Does Maine own my savings bonds?
No, not unless Maine holds the paper bond and a court gives it title: LaTurner (2019) bars a state from taking title to bonds it does not possess, and Treasury pays a state only for a held bond at final maturity, at its discretion.
Do savings bonds expire while Maine holds them?
No: savings bonds never expire and no deadline applies to cashing them (Executive Order 13968, 85 FR 83745); they stop earning interest at final maturity. See when savings bonds mature for each series.
Can Maine get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, Maine included, is publicly known to have signed the information-sharing agreement that 31 CFR 323.11(b) requires before Treasury shares owner names and addresses (as of November 11, 2026). A state may use them only to locate owners (89 FR 102735, December 18, 2024); see what states can receive from Treasury.
Where can I cash a savings bond in Maine?
Cash a paper savings bond at a Maine bank that offers the service or by mail to Treasury with FS Form 1522. Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to, and Series H and HH bonds, plus Series A to D, F, G, J and K, go to Treasury only. See the banks that cash savings bonds.
Can I search Treasury's records for unclaimed savings bonds by name?
No: TreasuryDirect has offered no name search since Treasury Hunt ended on September 30, 2025. File FS Form 1048 instead; Missouri's search covers only bonds Missouri holds. Treasury Hunt is closed.
Compiled from named primary sources; how we check every statute and docket.