Fame and fortune

Good Morning America captures local couple’s unclaimed property windfall

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in chief

While Burlington got a few minutes in the national television spotlight Wednesday, it was a local couple who ended up with the big payday.

Dave and Sandy Corbett, owners of Gabby’s Palace tavern and restaurant in downtown Burlington, were recipients of a surprise windfall amounting to $13,345 courtesy of the state’s unclaimed property program.

According to officials, the money was an uncollected insurance dividend.

“I’m so happy to find it,” said Kurt Schuller, state treasurer.

“Me, too!” Dave Corbett added.

The event – which also included presentations of much smaller amounts to the city police and fire departments as well as the local Chamber of Commerce – was aired live during ABC television’s Good Morning America program.

The show runs a regular segment titled “Show Me the Money” during which it attempts to educate people in ways to find and collect unclaimed funds held in their names.

According to Ron Giordan, a spokesman for the state treasurer’s office, Wednesday was the first time GMA aired a presentation live.

Giordan said this is the third time Schuller has partnered with GMA for a segment on the show. The first two involved a presentation of $50,000 to the Wisconsin Humane Society and a church in Neenah that collected $10,000 in savings bonds that a late parishioner had taken out in the church’s name.

“We’re trying to make an effort to get this kind of money back to people who have it coming to them,” Giordan said Tuesday. “But even $50 in unclaimed property is worth the effort.”

However, Giordan admits that when they call people, they’re often regarded with a skeptical eye.

Such was the case in Burlington.

Sandy Corbett said her husband, naturally, thought he was being scammed when he was first contacted by the treasurer’s office three weeks ago.

The same goes for Mayor Bob Miller, who received a call from Giordan last week regarding the event.

“He laid this whole thing out in a phone call,” Miller said. “Being a former cop, I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ I was pretty sure they were coming down here to make fools out of us.”

However, like a good cop, Miller did his due diligence and contacted the state’s treasurer’s office to verify Giordan’s information.

He learned the city fire department was in line to receive $2,000, the police department $179 and the Chamber of Commerce $50.

“I don’t know how excited I’m supposed to get over $179, but, overall, this is great exposure for the city.”

Sandy Corbett said the mayor tried to convince her and her husband to move the event to Veterans Terrace to accommodate more people, but they wanted to keep it in the restaurant.

“We have a lot of regular customers that have indicated their coming,” she said Tuesday.

Giordan said he hopes Wednesday event serves as a means to connect more people with their unclaimed property and funds.

The state’s unclaimed repository includes roughly $380 million in liquid assets and 1.8 million property items.

“If the caller says he’s the state treasurer, it’s really him and he wants to give your money back,” he said.

Staff writer Jennifer Eisenbart contributed to this story.

Is there a check with your name on it?

                  To find out if the state treasurer’s office has unclaimed money or property for you, visit the website http://statetreasury.wisconsin.gov.