a person holding a bunch of money in their hand

New York is sitting on $10 billion in lost money — and now mails checks under $250 automatically

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office has been sitting on roughly $10 billion in unclaimed funds, and a program launched in January 2025 now sends checks directly to verified owners of small accounts without requiring them to file a claim. Through April 2026, the Expedited Payment Program had issued more than 210,000 checks totaling…

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fan of 100 U.S. dollar banknotes

Three class-action settlements are paying cash with no proof this month, from Molina to Tom’s of Maine

Consumers who bought Tom’s of Maine toothpaste over the past five years can now file for cash payments without providing a receipt, part of a wave of class-action settlements distributing money this month. The Tom’s of Maine case covers purchases made in the United States between November 21, 2020, and March 6, 2026. The settlement…

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High angle view of laptop on table

The average credit card now charges 21.5%, turning a $6,600 balance into about $1,400 a year in interest

Households carrying credit card debt through 2024 faced an average interest rate of 21.5 percent on balances that actually accrued charges, according to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer credit release. For a cardholder revolving the national average balance of roughly $6,600, that rate translates to about $1,400 a year in interest alone, money that never…

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fan of 100 U.S. dollar banknotes

Pennsylvania is now automatically mailing checks for unclaimed money, no claim form required

Pennsylvanians who never filed a claim for lost money are now receiving checks in the mail, sent automatically by the state Treasury. Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced the first batch of 2026 Money Match checks, continuing a program that has already completed two earlier rounds since launching in early 2025. The effort covers single-owner unclaimed properties…

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a mailbox on a sidewalk in front of a house

California is holding $15 billion in unclaimed cash and just mailed letters to 130,000 residents it may owe

Roughly 130,000 California residents are receiving letters from the state telling them they may be owed money. The notices come from the State Controller’s Office, which holds approximately $15 billion in unclaimed property and is now using tax-record matching to track down the people most likely to have a valid claim. The effort marks a…

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a woman sitting in front of a laptop computer holding a cell phone

An online savings account often pays many times what a big bank gives on the same balance

Savers holding cash at the largest U.S. banks are earning a fraction of what they could collect by moving that same money to an online high-yield savings account. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s published national average for savings deposits sits at 0.38 percent, while many online competitors advertise annual percentage yields between 3 and 5…

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Mature businessman drinking coffee in cafe Portrait of handsome man wearing stylish eyeglasses using laptop looking at camera smiling Coffee break concept

Several class-action settlements are open this summer, and most pay out with no proof at all

Consumers who were charged for Amazon Prime memberships they never agreed to can now file for refunds through a federal program that requires no receipts, no screenshots, and no proof of purchase. The Federal Trade Commission, which accused Amazon of enrolling people without clear consent and then making cancellation deliberately difficult, maintains an active refund…

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Costco Wholesale

Costco’s members keep spending freely, defying the pullback hitting other retailers

Costco Wholesale kept ringing up sales gains through the quarter ended May 10, 2026, even as broader U.S. retail spending showed signs of cooling. The company’s latest quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission details continued growth in merchandise revenue and membership-fee income during a stretch when government data pointed to softer results across…

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Dollar General store in Barre, Vermont.

Dollar General says its core shoppers, most earning under $30,000, are now “very stretched”

Millions of American households earning less than $30,000 a year are running out of room in their budgets, and the discount retailer that depends on them most is feeling the squeeze. Dollar General has described its core shoppers as “very stretched,” a characterization that aligns with federal data showing persistent price increases on groceries and…

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