On Friday, New London resident Mariana Vega laughed off a check for 74 cents she said she received from the state for money she was owed but didn’t know existed.

“I’m like, why did they even send this,” she said. “It’s not even a dollar. What can I buy with that? Nothing.”

But the amount seems almost lofty when compared to checks viewed by The Day for amounts as low as two cents.

The checks, signed by state Comptroller Sean Scanlan and Treasurer Erick Russell and mailed out with 53 cent stamps, are part of expanded efforts to reunite residents with so-called “unclaimed property” such as proceeds from forgotten bank accounts, paychecks that were never cashed or the contents of safe deposit boxes.

When financial institutions and other organizations owe money but can’t find the owner, they’re required to turn over the assets to the state. People can search for property in their name on CTBigList.com.

But a 2022 report from the CT Mirror found the state's unclaimed property management system took in $2.3 billion between 2000 and 2021, while reuniting only 37% with the rightful owners. Part of the problem was the failure of the treasurer’s office to list lost money valued at less than $50 on the CT Big List, according to the news outlet.

Money that stays unclaimed either goes into the state's general fund or its public funding arm for elections, the Citizen's Election Fund.

The CT Big List was expanded to include amounts under $50 by the treasurer’s office in response to the CT Mirror report. Legislation passed last year empowered the office to automatically return amounts less than $2,500 instead of relying on people to figure out if they are owed money’s and then claim it.

Tyler Van Buren, spokesman for the treasurer’s office, said the first automatic checks began going out in batches in early June. He emphasized state law requires the program to return all unclaimed property, “regardless of amount.”

“We think it’s important that people have the ability to claim all property that rightfully belongs to them, however we would welcome conversations with lawmakers about ways to make returning funds — especially small sums — more efficient and cost-effective for the state,” he said.

Van Buren was not able Friday to provide data on how much money has been returned this year or how many payments were less than a dollar, citing the time-consuming nature of running reports in the treasurer’s office.

Russell in a statement lauded “substantial strides” in getting lost money back where it belongs.

“While it’s exciting to begin some automatic payments, this is the starting line of our efforts, not the finish. I’m looking forward to continuously improving the program and returning as much unclaimed property as possible,” he said.

Back in New London, Vega said she was unlikely to be cashing her 74-cent check.

“I think that’s a little more than the effort I want to put into it,” she said. “So no, I’ll probably just let it sit there.”

She said the state would be better off directing the small amounts to a charity or a part of the state budget that needs it.

e.regan@theday.com