Berrien County Unclaimed Money

Berrien County residents may have unclaimed money sitting in the state database or in tax foreclosure surplus funds held at the county level. The county seat is St. Joseph, and Treasurer Shelly Weich manages all delinquent tax collection, property foreclosure matters, and public fund safeguarding for this southwest Michigan county bordering Indiana and Lake Michigan.

Michigan Unclaimed Property Search

The Michigan Department of Treasury maintains the state's official unclaimed property database at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov. The search is free, and the database has grown to include more than $675 million returned to Michigan residents over the past five years. Dormant bank accounts, forgotten security deposits, uncashed payroll checks, old utility deposits, and lapsed insurance proceeds are all types of property you might find listed under your name.

You can search by full name or business name. No account or login is needed to run a basic search. If a match comes up, you can start a claim right from the portal. There is no deadline. Claims are accepted at any time.

For direct help, call the Treasury's unclaimed property line at (517) 636-5320 or email TreasUPD@michigan.gov. Staff can confirm whether a record belongs to you and explain what documents you need to submit.

The Berrien County Treasurer's office page at the county's main website provides a starting point for local tax and foreclosure matters. The screenshot below was taken from the Berrien County Treasurer page.

Visit the Berrien County Treasurer's office page at berriencounty.org/156/Treasurer to access delinquent tax payment options and property tax information online.

The treasurer page lists online payment options and contact details for Treasurer Shelly Weich.

The Berrien County main website at berriencounty.org provides access to all county departments and services.

Use the site to find links to delinquent tax payments, property tax records, and other public services.

Berrien County Treasurer Contact

Treasurer Shelly Weich operates out of the county building in downtown St. Joseph. The office is open Monday through Friday during standard business hours. Here is how to reach the treasurer directly:

The treasurer's office handles a wide range of responsibilities beyond tax collection. These include safeguarding public funds, managing cash and investments, receipting and depositing revenue from across county departments, auditing primary residence exemptions on property, certifying deeds, and issuing dog licenses and county park passes. If you are not sure whether to call the general line or the direct treasurer extension, start with the general number and they will route you.

One notable feature specific to Berrien County is the Municipality Visit Schedule. Treasurer Weich and staff travel to individual municipalities in the county to assist property owners in person. This is especially useful for residents in smaller townships who may have difficulty getting to the St. Joseph office. Check the treasurer's page for the current schedule.

Note: The county's online services allow delinquent tax payment and property tax information lookup without an in-person visit.

Tax Foreclosure Surplus Claims

If a property in Berrien County was tax-foreclosed after 2020, the former owner may have the right to claim any surplus funds left after the sale. Michigan law MCL 211.78t, which took effect for 2021 and later foreclosures, requires that surplus proceeds be made available to prior owners and certain lienholders. This law followed the 2020 Michigan Supreme Court ruling in Rafaeli, LLC v. Oakland County, which held that the government cannot keep more than it is owed when it sells a foreclosed property.

The claim process works on a fixed calendar. You file Form 5743 with the Berrien County Treasurer by July 1 in the year of the foreclosure sale. The treasurer then responds with an accounting through Form 5744 by January 31 of the following year. If the matter remains unresolved after that, you have a window from February 1 through May 15 to file a motion with the circuit court to pursue your claim formally.

To get the notice of intention form, Berrien County publishes it directly on the county website. The form is available at berriencounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/660/. Download and complete the form before the July 1 deadline. Missing that date can mean losing the right to claim even if funds exist.

The three-year delinquency timeline applies here just as in all Michigan counties. Taxes become delinquent on March 1 of year one. Forfeiture happens March 1 of year two. Foreclosure is complete April 1 of year three. At each stage the debt grows through interest and fees, which is why acting early matters.

Note: The Rafaeli decision covers all Michigan counties, but the specific forms and deadlines under MCL 211.78t are statewide and apply uniformly in Berrien County.

Foreclosure Sales and Tax-Sale.info

Berrien County tax foreclosure sales are often conducted through Tax-Sale.info, an online auction platform used by more than 74 Michigan counties. Sales are conducted online, which means buyers from anywhere can participate. If you are trying to track down results from a past sale to determine whether a surplus was generated, Tax-Sale.info can help. Their phone number is 800-259-7470.

After a sale, the county calculates the total owed including back taxes, interest, fees, and administrative costs. If the sale price exceeds that total, the leftover amount is the surplus. That is the money former owners can claim using Form 5743.

Legal Help and Free Resources

Navigating a surplus claim can get complicated, especially if there are multiple claimants or if the deadlines have created procedural issues. Several free and low-cost resources exist for Berrien County residents.

Michigan Legal Help at michiganlegalhelp.org provides plain-language step-by-step guides on filing for leftover money after a tax foreclosure. You do not need a lawyer to use the site, and it covers the Form 5743 process in detail.

The State Bar of Michigan runs a lawyer referral service at lrs.michbar.org or by phone at (800) 968-0738. For residents who may not afford an attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM) at lsem-mi.org provides free civil legal help. Call LSEM at (800) 322-4512 to see if you qualify for assistance.

If your property is still at risk of foreclosure, the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund at michigan.gov/mihaf offers grants up to $25,000 to help catch up on past-due taxes and mortgage payments. This is a grant and does not need to be repaid. Check the site for current availability since funding can change.

Other Types of Unclaimed Funds

The state Treasury database and tax foreclosure surplus are the two most common sources of unclaimed money, but there are others. The FDIC holds records on accounts at failed banks. The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators at unclaimed.org links to databases in all 50 states, which is useful if you or a family member ever lived in another state. Pension and retirement accounts can also become unclaimed if employers lose track of former employees. The U.S. Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation both maintain search tools for lost retirement funds.

Berrien County property tax and ownership records are public. If you want to research the history of a specific parcel, including whether it was ever foreclosed, the treasurer's office at 269-983-7111 can help or point you to the right records. The county's online portal also provides delinquent tax lookup at no cost.

Cities and Towns in Berrien County

Berrien County has no cities that meet the 100,000-population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. The main communities include St. Joseph (the county seat), Benton Harbor, Niles, Buchanan, Bridgman, and Stevensville. If you live in any of these communities, all unclaimed money matters and tax foreclosure surplus claims are handled through the Berrien County Treasurer's office at 701 Main Street in St. Joseph.

Nearby Counties

Berrien County sits at Michigan's southwestern tip, bordered by Indiana to the south and east. Neighboring Michigan counties each have their own treasurer's offices handling local unclaimed funds and foreclosure surplus matters.