Ohio unclaimed savings bonds are claimed free in 2 ways: from the Ohio Division of Unclaimed Funds when the state holds the paper bond, or from Treasury with FS Form 1048 when it does not.
Ohio passed a savings bond escheat statute in 2015, according to Treasury, and escheat means a state takes ownership of unclaimed property. Ohio's federal suit for bonds it did not hold was dismissed on November 30, 2020. We checked every fact below on November 11, 2026.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the Division, the Ohio Department of Commerce, Treasury, TreasuryDirect or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search their records for you. The hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices shows how other states compare.
Does Ohio Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
Ohio holds a US savings bond only when its Division of Unclaimed Funds has physically received the paper bond, for example from an abandoned safe deposit box.
It does not hold bonds that exist only on Treasury's records. No Ohio list of held savings bonds appears in our sources. The table below summarizes the Ohio picture.
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Unclaimed Funds | NAUPA Ohio page |
| Phone | (614) 466-4433 | NAUPA Ohio page |
| General statute | Ohio Revised Code chapter 169 | Ohio Revised Code (official text not opened by us) |
| Savings bond list | None found in our sources | Checked November 11, 2026 |
| Savings bond statute | Listed among 2015 enactments; section not established | 80 FR 80259 |
| Federal suit | Williams v. United States, Court of Federal Claims No. 16-1021C, dismissed with prejudice November 30, 2020 | Court records |
| Other federal role | Amicus for the states in LaTurner (2019); not a Third Circuit appellant | Court records |
| Agreement with Treasury for bond records | None publicly known | Checked November 11, 2026 |
| Cost of a claim | Free | Treasury and state programs charge no claim fee |
Ohio and savings bonds at a glance, as of November 11, 2026. Sources: NAUPA Ohio page, 80 FR 80259, court records.
Missouri runs the only verified live state bond name search. No national name search exists for unclaimed savings bonds either.
Which Ohio Agency Handles Unclaimed Savings Bonds
The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Unclaimed Funds, is the agency that holds and returns unclaimed property in Ohio, under Ohio Revised Code chapter 169. The Department's Director brought Ohio's savings bond suit, described below. The Division's phone number is in the contact block below, as of November 11, 2026.
How to Search Ohio Unclaimed Funds for a Savings Bond
Search Ohio unclaimed funds for a savings bond by asking the Division of Unclaimed Funds under the owner's name, and claim any paper bond it holds for free. The 4 steps are below.
- Contact the Division yourself through the Ohio Department of Commerce, 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.
- Ask for a free claim on each match and keep a record of it.
How to Claim a Savings Bond From the Ohio Division of Unclaimed Funds
Claiming a savings bond from the Ohio Division of Unclaimed Funds costs nothing, and the Division sets the proof of ownership it needs for each claim.
We found no Ohio claim form, document list, payment method or payment time in our sources, so ask by phone before sending any original bond. We found no Ohio source on whether the Division returns the paper bond or pays out its proceeds.
Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Unclaimed Funds
Phone: (614) 466-4433
Source: NAUPA Ohio page, checked November 11, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the Division or the Department.
Cashing a Savings Bond Ohio Returns to You
Cash a paper savings bond Ohio 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 certified signature, from a notary or certifying officer, only when the bonds' total current redemption value is more than $1,000.
The interest is federally taxable and exempt from state and local income tax (31 U.S.C. 3124(a)). Series and issue date set the value, not Ohio; our calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, prices them. The full steps for how to cash savings bonds cover both the bank and the mail route.
If Ohio Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a bond Ohio 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.
Mail the FS Form 1048 claim for lost savings bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, or call 844-284-2676.
Without the serial number printed on the bond, Treasury asks for the month and year of purchase, the complete Social Security number, the full names with middle names or initials, and the address. A claim filed 6 years or more after final maturity needs the serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)).
Ohio's 2015 Savings Bond Escheat Statute
Ohio is one of 8 states that Treasury lists as enacting a savings bond title-escheat statute in 2015, a law meant to make the state the owner of unclaimed bonds through a court judgment (80 FR 80259, December 24, 2015). The other 7 are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Ohio's unclaimed funds law is Ohio Revised Code chapter 169. The bond section, its text, its enacting bill and its effective date are not established in our sources, so this page quotes no Ohio wording and gives no waiting period. Ask an Ohio attorney for the statute text.
Williams v. United States: Ohio's Savings Bond Suit (No. 16-1021C)
Williams v. United States (U.S. Court of Federal Claims, No. 16-1021C) is Ohio's savings bond suit: the Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce claimed title to matured unredeemed savings bonds under state judicial escheat proceedings.
The plaintiff is named as the office holder, Jacqueline T. Williams, Director, Ohio Department of Commerce. The 10 state suits sought redemption of "absent bonds" (title by state judgment, certificates not in the state's hands), plus contract and Fifth Amendment takings damages.
On November 30, 2020, Judge Elaine D. Kaplan dismissed all 10 suits with prejudice, which ends them, in one Opinion and Order, in accordance with LaTurner.
The opinion separates bonds a state physically holds, which Treasury may pay under 31 CFR 315.88 at its discretion, and keeps no jurisdiction over future 315.88 disputes. The table below lists the dates.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ohio enacts a savings bond title-escheat statute (listed by Treasury; section not established) | 80 FR 80259 |
| December 24, 2015 | Treasury's rule takes effect: a state may be paid for a bond at final maturity it holds, with title by judgment, at Treasury's discretion | 80 FR 80258; 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88 |
| No. 16-1021C | Williams v. United States: Ohio's Director of Commerce claims title to matured unredeemed bonds | U.S. Court of Federal Claims docket |
| August 13, 2019 | LaTurner v. United States: state escheat of bonds a state does not hold is preempted; Ohio amicus for the states | 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir.) |
| October 5, 2020 | Supreme Court denies certiorari in LaTurner (Nos. 19-1279, 19-1285) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| November 30, 2020 | Ohio's suit and 9 others dismissed with prejudice in one Opinion and Order (Judge Elaine D. Kaplan) | Court of Federal Claims, Nos. 15-1364C et al. |
Ohio's savings bond statute and lawsuit against the federal record, as of November 11, 2026. The filing year of No. 16-1021C is not stated.
What Federal Courts and Treasury Rules Allow Ohio to Do
Federal law lets Ohio 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 it holds by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, December 24, 2015). Treasury does not pay on a custody-only judgment.
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019), concerned Kansas and Arkansas.
It held that federal law preempts, meaning overrides, state escheat of bonds a state does not hold, and that serial numbers are required to redeem them. The State of Ohio filed as an amicus, a friend of the court, for the states.
Ohio was not among the 2012 Third Circuit appellants: New Jersey, Montana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri and Pennsylvania. The Unclaimed Savings Bond Act (H.R. 4085 and S. 2854, 117th Congress) was not enacted.
Ohio Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not Ohio 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 in Ohio too.
Heirs ask the Division under the deceased owner's name, and a returned bond then 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 serves estates that are not administered, and FS Form 5394 (Rev. May 2026) serves closed estates and state small-estate procedures. We state no Ohio small-estate rule here. Ask the estate's attorney about individual decisions.
Paid Helpers and Third Parties in Ohio Claims
Treasury pays a savings bond only to its registered owner or another person entitled (31 CFR 353.39(b)), not to a paid helper. No Treasury rule sets a helper's fee, and we state no Ohio cap; see our guide to savings bond recovery services.
The Other 9 States in the 2020 Court of Federal Claims Dismissal
Ohio's suit was 1 of 10 state suits the Court of Federal Claims dismissed on November 30, 2020, and the other 9 states have their own pages.
- South Dakota unclaimed savings bonds, No. 15-1364C
- Louisiana unclaimed savings bonds, No. 15-1365C
- Kentucky unclaimed savings bonds, No. 16-221C
- Mississippi unclaimed savings bonds, No. 16-231C
- South Carolina unclaimed savings bonds, No. 16-451C
- Indiana unclaimed savings bonds, No. 16-699C
- Florida unclaimed savings bonds, No. 16-1482C
- Iowa unclaimed savings bonds, No. 19-678C
- Pennsylvania unclaimed savings bonds, No. 20-944C
More Guides for Ohio Bond Owners and Heirs
7 related guides cover situations the Ohio claim does not.
- 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
- Does Huntington cash savings bonds
- Does Fifth Third cash savings bonds
Ohio Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
How can I search for unclaimed savings bonds by name?
Search by name in a state's unclaimed property program only for paper bonds that state holds; no public site searches Treasury's savings bond records by name. Missouri runs the only verified live state bond name search (November 11, 2026). For other routes, see our savings bond lookup.
Does Ohio own my savings bonds?
No, not unless Ohio holds the paper bond and has a court judgment giving it title (31 CFR 315.88): LaTurner (2019) bars a state from taking title to bonds it does not possess, and Ohio's own suit for such bonds was dismissed with prejudice on November 30, 2020.
Do savings bonds expire while Ohio 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 Ohio get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, Ohio 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, never to escheat them, and not to publish them without Treasury's advance written approval (89 FR 102735, December 18, 2024; 31 CFR 323.11(c)). See what states can receive from Treasury.
Where can I cash a savings bond in Ohio?
Cash a paper savings bond at an Ohio bank that offers the service or by mail with FS Form 1522. Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to, and Series HH goes to Treasury only. See the banks that cash savings bonds.
Can I still use Treasury Hunt to find savings bonds in Ohio?
No: Treasury Hunt has not been available since September 30, 2025, and no online name search replaced it. File FS Form 1048 instead; Treasury Hunt is closed.
Compiled from named primary sources; how we check every statute and docket.