What we do
Phoenix recovers funds held by counties, courts, and state agencies after a property sale or an unclaimed account. Every service runs on the same published fee, with no upfront cost.
The sale paid off the debt. What was left over is yours.
$3,000 — $85,000
4 — 12 months · Typical
The lender is paid what it is owed out of the auction price. Anything above that figure is not the lender's money and not the county's money. It sits with the clerk or the court registry until the former owner, or an heir, asks for it by name.
The property sold for more than the taxes owed. The difference belongs to the former owner.
$5,000 — $120,000
3 — 10 months · Typical
A tax sale is run to collect a tax bill, not to sell the property for what it is worth. Bidders routinely pay many times the delinquent amount, and the difference is held by the county auditor, collector, or clerk rather than kept by the taxing body.
A parent lost a property, or left an account behind. Heirs can still claim it.
$4,000 — $95,000
6 — 18 months · Typical
Money left behind does not expire with the person. It stays with a county, a court, an insurer, or a state treasurer under the deceased's name until an heir establishes who they are and what share the estate leaves them.
Accounts, checks, and deposits that were turned over to the state.
$500 — $40,000
2 — 6 months · Typical
Every state runs a free database of the property it holds, and most single-account claims can be filed online at no cost. We are useful only where a claim crosses states, sits under a former name, belongs to someone who has died, or has already been rejected once.
Someone else has filed against funds that belong to you.
$6,000 — $150,000
5 — 14 months · Typical
A competing filing does not decide anything on its own. The court disburses on priority and standing, and a claim that was released, satisfied, or is out of time should not be paid — but usually only if somebody appears and says so on the record.
The same figures apply to every service line. Nothing here is behind a form.
Our fee
30%* *Our fees include the legal support given by our law partners who represent our clients to claim their surplus.
Includes legal support
Filing fees, recording costs, title work, notary, and contracted counsel are paid by us. No recovery, no fee.
*Our fees include the legal support given by our law partners who represent our clients to claim their surplus.
Typical timelines
| Foreclosure surplus | 4 — 12 months |
|---|---|
| Tax sale surplus | 3 — 10 months |
| Estate and heir recovery | 6 — 18 months |
| Unclaimed property | 2 — 6 months |
| Competing-claim defense | 5 — 14 months |
Timelines vary by county and case complexity.
Claim windows — by state
Reference information for the states we file in. Confirm with the county before relying on it.
| KY | Surplus is held by the Master Commissioner and reported to the state as abandoned property if unclaimed; claim as early as possible after the sale is confirmed.KRS 393A (Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act) |
|---|---|
| TN | Excess proceeds are held by the court clerk; funds unclaimed for the statutory period are reported to state unclaimed property.Tenn. Code Ann. Title 66, Ch. 29 (Uniform Unclaimed Property Act) |
| OH | Sheriff's sale surplus is deposited with the Clerk of Courts and may be claimed by the former owner or their heirs by motion in the foreclosure case.Ohio Rev. Code § 2329.44 and § 5721.20 |
| IN | Tax sale surplus must generally be claimed within three years of the sale before it transfers to the county general fund.Ind. Code § 6-1.1-24-7 |
| IL | Tax sale indemnity and surplus claims are filed by petition in the Circuit Court; foreclosure surplus is distributed on motion after confirmation of sale.35 ILCS 200/21-305 and 735 ILCS 5/15-1512 |
| MN | Surplus from a mortgage foreclosure sale belongs to the mortgagor after the redemption period runs; unclaimed funds are later reported to Commerce.Minn. Stat. § 580.10 and § 345.31 et seq. |
| WI | Foreclosure surplus is paid into the clerk of court and disbursed by court order; unclaimed balances are reported to the Department of Revenue.Wis. Stat. § 846.162 and Ch. 177 |
| MO | Tax sale surplus must generally be claimed within three years of the sale, after which it is forfeited to the county school fund.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 140.230 |
| VA | Foreclosure surplus is paid into the court and disbursed by order; tax sale surplus is generally claimed from the county within the time set by ordinance or statute.Va. Code § 8.01-466 and § 58.1-3965 et seq. |
| WV | Surplus proceeds from a sheriff's sale are paid into the circuit court and held until claimed by the former owner or distributed by order.W. Va. Code § 38-1-7 and § 36A-2-1 et seq. |
| FL | Foreclosure surplus is held by the clerk and disbursed by court order; tax deed sale surplus must be claimed within a period set by the county, typically after the tax deed is recorded.Fla. Stat. § 45.032 and § 197.582 |
| NY | Mortgage foreclosure surplus is distributed by court order; tax sale surplus claims must be made within the time fixed by local law, typically before the surplus is paid into the county general fund.N.Y. Real Prop. Tax Law § 1184; N.Y. CPLR § 2104 |
Tell us the property or the name and we will work out which category it falls under, at no cost.
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