(a) In addition to the notices required pursuant to this chapter, the Controller may mail a separate notice to an apparent owner of a United States savings bond, war bond, or military award whose name is shown on or can be associated with the contents of a safe deposit box or other safekeeping repository and is different from the reported owner of the safe deposit box or other safekeeping repository.
§ 1531.6.Notice to Owners of Savings Bonds, War Bond Or Military Award
Title 10. Unclaimed Property · Chapter 7. Unclaimed Property Law · Article 3. Identification of Escheated Property · Enacted 2015 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1531.6 lets the Controller send a separate notice to the apparent owner of a United States savings bond, war bond, or military award found inside an escheated safe deposit box when that owner's name differs from the box's reported owner, using the same interagency information-sharing tools and elected-official photograph ban as Section 1531.5.
Full Text of § 1531.6
(b) A notice sent pursuant to this section shall not contain a photograph or likeness of an elected official.
(1) Notwithstanding any other law, upon request of the Controller, a state or local governmental agency may furnish to the Controller from its records the address or other identification or location information that could reasonably be used to locate an owner of unclaimed property.
(2) If the address or other identification or location information requested by the Controller is deemed confidential under any law or regulation of the state, it shall nevertheless be furnished to the Controller. However, neither the Controller nor any officer, agent, or employee of the Controller shall use or disclose that information, except as may be necessary in attempting to locate the owner of unclaimed property.
(3) This subdivision shall not be construed to require disclosure of information in violation of federal law.
(4) If a fee or charge is customarily made for the information requested by the Controller, the Controller shall pay the customary fee or charge.
(d) Costs for administering this section shall be subject to the level of appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
Plain-English Summary
Safe deposit boxes sometimes hold savings bonds or military awards belonging to someone other than the person whose name is on the box, maybe a parent's war bond tucked away by an adult child, and Section 1531.6 gives the Controller a way to reach that separate person directly. In addition to the notices this chapter already requires, the Controller may mail a targeted notice to the apparent owner of a savings bond, war bond, or military award whose name shows up on or can be tied to the contents of a safe deposit box, when that name differs from the box's reported owner.
This targeted notice borrows the same safeguards Section 1531.5 sets for its own notification program. It can't carry a photograph or likeness of an elected official, and state or local agencies can furnish address or location information to help find that person, even over confidentiality rules, with the Controller paying any customary fee for it and staying within federal law. Funding for this effort likewise depends on the level the annual Budget Act appropriates.
Frequently Asked Questions
When would the Controller use this separate notice power?
When a safe deposit box or other repository escheats and its contents include a savings bond, war bond, or military award belonging to someone whose name differs from the box's reported owner.
Can this additional notice contain a photo of an elected official?
No. Section 1531.6 bars any elected official's photograph or likeness from a notice sent under it, matching the rule in Section 1531.5.
Can the Controller get help from other agencies to locate this bond owner?
Yes. State and local agencies may furnish address or location information at the Controller's request, even if otherwise confidential, subject to federal law and any customary fee the Controller pays.
Is this notice mandatory whenever a mismatched name appears?
No. The section says the Controller may mail the notice, leaving it as an available tool rather than a required step in every case.
Amendment History
Added by Stats 2015 ch 297 (AB 355),s 1, eff. 1/1/2016.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: savings bond safe deposit box notice californiamilitary award unclaimed property owner notice