ASK KIM
Savings Bond Finders not Keepers
by Kimberly Lankford

I found some savings bonds in a collection of things purchased at auction. The bonds matured earlier this year. The U.S. Treasury's Web site indicates I have no recourse to cash these bonds, as my name does not appear on them. The Treasury Department suggests sending the bonds to it and it will hold them pending a claim from the legal owner. Would I have a right to the bonds if no such claim were made within a certain time?

Sorry, but you'll never be able to cash in those bonds. "The registration on a savings bond is considered to be legally definitive," says Stephen Meyerhardt, spokesman for the Bureau of the Public Debt. "If you're not named on the bond or are not the heir, you have no entitlement to the bond under any circumstances."

These rules may be disappointing for folks who find other people's bonds, but they're good for the bond holders and their families. If you lose a bond or think you might be the heir to one, you can track it down through the Treasury Department. Go to the Bureau of the Public Debt's Treasury Hunt page and fill out a claim for lost, stolen or destroyed savings bonds. The bureau will search its records to see if the bonds have been cashed. If they haven't, they'll send you free replacements.