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Allegations have come forward regarding the Minnesota Department of Commerce seizing dormant accounts with large sums of money and making it harder for the rightful owners to claim it back—as reported by MinnPost. The unclaimed property program was initially put in place in 1969 to protect inactive financial accounts and properties from financial institutions. State legislature used to require that individuals receive a written notice when their property was seized and could be recorded by local newspapers, but this requisite was overturned in 2005. In 2006, the state had $318 million from unclaimed accounts and the number has spiked in recent years. As of December 2015, the State of Minnesota has racked up $711.5 million (and keeps rising). This money now sits in the state’s general fund for unlimited use. Zimmerman Reed attorneys are working with a class to retrieve and return the money to their rightful owners.