CHARLESTON – State Treasurer John Perdue returned approximately $300,000 to residents of seven Eastern Panhandle counties in calendar year 2011.

The Treasurer’s Office returned a cumulative $289,273.63 to residents of Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral and Morgan counties. A total of 644 claims comprise the sum.

Leading the way was Berkeley County, home of the area’s most populous city, Martinsburg. Through Treasurer’s Office outreach efforts, Berkeley residents had $141,389.56 returned to them. Other Eastern Panhandle counties and their totals:

Jefferson: $60,566.36

Morgan: $25,387.42

Mineral: $23,431.70

Hampshire: $20,428.69

Hardy: $12,511.42

Grant: $5,558.48

“As always, we’re delighted to rejoin residents with their property, whether they live in the Northern Panhandle or the deepest reaches of southern West Virginia,” Perdue said. “Unclaimed property belongs to our citizens and we must do everything we can to get it back to them.”

Unclaimed property is any asset from which a person has become separated. Examples could be a left-behind utility deposit or a forgotten paycheck. After a certain period of inactivity, holders of such property are required to surrender the assets to the State Treasury. Real estate is not considered unclaimed property.

Treasurer Perdue has served as the custodian, as designated by state law, for 716,561 unclaimed property accounts that total more than $152 million in unclaimed funds. He has returned more than $100 million to West Virginia businesses and individuals.