Here are a few things that you will need to do if your government savings bonds are misplaced or destroyed. Prepare in Advance. When you buy or receive government savings bonds as a gift, you should record all of the information on them. You need to write down the serial number, the date of issue, the series and the social security number and name of the purchaser. If you have all of this information, it will make recovering the lost bonds much easier for you.
You're not alone if you can't find that savings bond Aunt Clara gave you for your sixth birthday. In 2011, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Bureau of Public Debt held nearly 45 million lost, undeliverable and forgotten U.S. savings bonds that had reached maturity but had not been redeemed. The Bureau helps you locate and recover your missing investment through its TreasuryDirect website and written requests.
Pre-search Homework
Gather as much information about your bonds as possible. According to Kiplinger.com, the more information you can provide, the better the odds for getting a replacement. When was the bond issued? Even if Aunt Clara doesn't remember when she bought your bond, you can estimate the time period as 'between February 1981 and May 1983,' for example. Other helpful facts include the purchaser's Social Security number, the face value of the bond, who had access to it and when you last saw it.
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Searching Online
The TreasuryDirect website contains the Treasury Hunt tool to locate bonds that have matured. You enter the Social Security number of either the purchaser or the receiver to do a search. The tool's database only contains records of Series E bonds issued since 1974 and Series EE bonds with issue dates beginning in 1980. Periodic checks may prove successful because the Bureau updates the database as bonds reach maturity.
Successful Search
When you've found a bond, the Treasury Hunt system prompts you to submit a claim. According to ABCNews, two-thirds of claimants fail to give contact information needed for the claim to proceed, so it's important to provide full information. Someone from Treasury will confirm that you are entitled to the uncashed bond and either send you a form to complete, or tell you which one to download from the TreasuryDirect site. The claim form must be certified, at a bank, credit union or brokerage firm before you submit it. Certification involves showing photo identification to a designated official and signing the form in his presence. His subsequent signature and the stamp or official seal he adds verify you as the claimant. You may choose replacement, redemption or conversion to an electronic bond to keep in a TreasuryDirect account you open. Replacement bonds carry the original date of issue.
Written Inquiry
When your bond doesn't show up in a Treasury Hunt search, you must submit Form 1048: Claim for Lost, Stolen or Destroyed U.S. Savings Bonds, which you can download from the TreasuryDirect website. Use the information you pulled together to fill out the form. Take your completed form -- and photo identification -- to a financial institution, not a Notary Public, for certification. An official at the bank or credit union will verify your identity, witness your signature, place an identifying stamp or seal on the form, and sign it. The Department of Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt address for mailing depends on the type of bond. Claims for Series H and HH bonds go to P. O. Box 2186, Parkersburg, West Virginia 26106-2186; send Series E, EE and I bond claims to P. O. Box 7012, Parkersburg, West Virginia 26106-7012.
Undelivered Bonds
As of January 1, 2012, the U.S. Treasury replaced paper bonds purchased at banks with electronic bonds. However, taxpayers can still buy Series I paper bonds using their federal income tax refund and get them through the mail. Should a bond you purchased this way never arrive in your mailbox, you can request a duplicate. Use form 3062-4 -- Claim for United States Savings Bonds Not Received. Either download it from TreasuryDirect.gov, or call the Federal Reserve's toll-free number -- 1-800-553-2663 -- to have one mailed to you. If your missing bond is less than a year old, you can receive a replacement, but not payment.
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About the Author
Trudy Brunot began writing in 1992. Her work has appeared in 'Quarterly,' 'Pennsylvania Health & You,' 'Constructor' and the 'Tribune-Review' newspaper. Her domestic and international experience includes human resources, advertising, marketing, product and retail management positions. She holds a master's degree in international business administration from the University of South Carolina.
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Unfortunately, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Treasury Hunt website for finding and claiming lost U.S. Savings Bonds is no longer available. Instead, persons wishing to claim and recover lost, stolen, or destroyed bonds should submit Fiscal Service Form 1048, Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds. Form 1048, along with instructions are available at https://www.treasurydirect.gov/forms/sav1048.pdf
Filing a Claim for Lost Savings Bonds
When filing the Fiscal Service Form 1048, Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds, the Treasury Department offers the following advice:
The serial numbers of all bonds should be listed if available. If a bond’s serial number is unavailable, the following information for each bond being claimed must be provided on the Fiscal Service Form 1048, regardless of the type of ownership for the bond:
- The month and year the bond was purchased.
- The bond owner’s first and last name as it appeared on the original bond (plus the owner’s middle name or initial, if it was on the original bond.)
- The original owner’s street address, city, and state.
- The bond owner’s Social Security Number (Taxpayer Identification Number) as it appeared on the original bond.
To avoid processing delays, the Treasury Department advises that each required Fiscal Service Form 1048, along with any additional documents, should be completed fully and correctly, signed, and certified according to the instructions provided on the form.
Options for Successfully Claimed Savings Bonds
Once the existence and legal ownership of lost, stolen, or destroyed bonds has been verified by filing the required Fiscal Service Form 1048, owners of the bonds have the following options:
For Series EE and I Bonds
- Cash them.
- Replace them with a bond in electronic form.
For Series HH Bonds
- Cash them
- Replace them with paper bonds.
For Series E and H Bonds
- Cash them.
Savings Bond Serial Number Example
More about U.S. Savings Bonds
Lost Savings Bonds No Serial Number List
Holders of Series H or HH savings bonds, which pay interest currently, should also check the Treasury Hunt web site to look for interest payments returned to the U.S. Bureau of the Public Debt as undeliverable. The most common cause for a payment to be returned is when a customer changes bank accounts or address and fails to provide new delivery instructions.
Series E bonds sold from May of 1941 through November of 1965 earn interest for 40 years. Bonds sold since December of 1965 earn interest for 30 years. So, bonds issued in February of 1961 and earlier have stopped earning interest as have bonds issued between December of 1965 and February of 1971.
Series E bonds sold from May of 1941 through November of 1965 earn interest for 40 years. Bonds sold since December of 1965 earn interest for 30 years. So, bonds issued in February of 1961 and earlier have stopped earning interest as have bonds issued between December of 1965 and February of 1971.
Savings bonds become undeliverable and are sent to the U.S. Bureau of the Public Debt only after financial institution issuing agents or the Federal Reserve make several attempts at delivering the bonds to investors. Bonds returned as undeliverable are a tiny fraction of the 45 million bonds sold each year.
The Bureau of the Public Debt has a number of employees assigned to a special locator group that finds owners of undeliverable payments and bonds. Each year they locate and deliver several millions of dollars in returned interest payments and thousands of previously undeliverable bonds to their owners. Treasury Hunt adds to the effectiveness, not to mention the fun, of this effort by making it easy for the public to check and see if they've got a bond or interest payment waiting for them.
The Bureau of the Public Debt has a number of employees assigned to a special locator group that finds owners of undeliverable payments and bonds. Each year they locate and deliver several millions of dollars in returned interest payments and thousands of previously undeliverable bonds to their owners. Treasury Hunt adds to the effectiveness, not to mention the fun, of this effort by making it easy for the public to check and see if they've got a bond or interest payment waiting for them.