How to Reply to an Abandoned Property Notice

Receiving an abandoned property notice is unsettling and may cause you some concern. In most cases, it's not too late to stop your Fidelity assets (including your accounts and/or checks issued from your accounts) from being turned over to your state's unclaimed property division—a process called escheatment.

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Why did I get this notice?

Fidelity attempts to notify you to confirm we have your correct address and contact information to prevent your assets from being identified as abandoned. Abandoned assets (including your accounts and/or uncashed checks issued from your accounts) may be at risk to be sent to your state's unclaimed property division.

Typically, if the owner of the assets does not take action on his property for a certain period of time, usually a three- or five-year period depending on the state's laws and property type, the assets might be considered abandoned.  Based on your state's guidelines, your assets might be considered abandoned or unclaimed if any, or all, of these conditions exist:

  • Returned mail—the U.S. Post Office returns the mail we've sent to your address as undeliverable.
  • Uncashed checks—the checks issued from your account haven't been cashed.

  • Inactivity—the account owners haven't contacted Fidelity or had any account activity for a long time.

    Note: Contact and activity can include, but aren't limited to, logging in to your account on Fidelity.com, calling a representative who is on a recorded telephone line, or completing certain maintenance activities and/or transactions.

If your state—based on its laws and the property type—determines your assets are abandoned, the assets may be turned over to the state.

What do I need to know?

We attempt to contact you using one or more of these methods: email, telephone call, U.S. Mail, and/or service alerts on Fidelity.com. Depending on the type of notice you received, Fidelity asks you to complete one of these actions:

  • Sign and return the correspondence we sent you.
  • Log in to Fidelity.com:
    • If your account is identified as potentially abandoned due to inactivity, simply logging in to your Fidelity.com account ensures your account is no longer identified as abandoned.
    • When you log in, please confirm we have your current address. If you need to update your address, visit your ProfileLog In Required.
  • Call us at 800-343-3548 if there are uncashed checks issued from your accounts or if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Note: Unfortunately, if your state required Fidelity to turn over your assets, you'll need to contact your state's treasury department. You can start by visiting the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA).

What to expect

  • After you've followed the directions we've provided and successfully completed any required updates, your account is no longer identified as abandoned property.
  • If you need to update your address, the change is effective immediately and you will receive a mailed confirmation from Fidelity within 3–5 days.
  • Please follow these guidelines to avoid future notices:
    • Make sure to keep your account information current with an up-to-date mailing address, email address, and login information.
    • Keep your account active by either logging in to your account or calling us at 800-343-3548.
    • Remember to cash checks issued from your Fidelity accounts when you receive them.