I have misplaced my US Savings Bonds

[Ferrets are Cool]

I bought them in the 80s and have moved a couple of times since then. I have scoured the house for them, but can't located them.
When I go to the government site, it tells me I must have information that I would ONLY have if I could find the bonds.

Does anyone have any advice on how to redeem these US Savings Bonds?

Thanks

[badhair77]

1. I'm interested also.

My son received several when he was born and later confirmed. I have no idea where they are. Given that I rarely throw anything out I’m bound to come across them someday.

[Freddie]

2. Did you buy them through an employer?

They might have records.

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. No. They were not.

[MLAA]

3. Any chance you put them in an old safety deposit box?

Or is it possible you used a brokerage firm of some kind and they have them? Just thinking of things I might have done 😬

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. Yeah, we have torn the house apart looking for them.

No luck.

[MLAA]

4. One more idea....

Did you check where you keep birth certificate, will or other such documents? I’m sure you did. I stick things in crazy places and not good at filing, I’m likely to have stuck the. In a folder with old utility. Ills or something. Good luck!

[Chipper Chat]

5. Just apply with the government.

They will ask you a lot of questions like when did you have them last etc. They can find out if they were cashed by your social security number. It's worth a try.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. Yes, I went to that page and it was down.

I will keep trying. It sure seems like it would be easy to look up by SS number.

[CountAllVotes]

9. Info. here:

Fill out Form 1048

To search for lost savings bonds, go to the U.S. Treasury’s website at treasurydirect.gov and fill out Form 1048, which is titled “Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds.

Form 1048 from treasurydirect.gov:

https://www.treasurydirect.gov/forms/sav1048.pdf%20


“Fill out as much of the form as possible,” Tayne says. “Try to obtain the Social Security numbers of the purchaser and estimated timeframe of the purchase.”
Verify for your form

Once you fill out your form to the best of your ability, don’t just sign it. It needs to be certified. Justin Pritchard, a financial adviser at Approach Financial, says this isn’t easy to do. “The hardest part of the process is getting your signature certified,” Pritchard says. “You’ll need a signature guarantee or another acceptable form of certification to complete the process. Unfortunately, a notarized document is not sufficient.”

To get your form verified head to your local financial institution, such as a bank or credit union. There you will sign the form and have it certified by the institution’s certifying officer, not a notary. Contact your bank or other financial institution ahead of time to find out if they have a certifying officer and set up an appointment.

More:

https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/how-to-find-lost-savings-bond/

Best of luck!

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. Thanks for this info.

[CountAllVotes]

11. Glad to help

If you decide to buy more at some point, I'd strongly suggest having them in a treatsurydirect.gov account.

You don't have to worry about losing them!

[lastlib]

17. Most likely you will need a *medallion* signature guarantee.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/medallionsignatureguarantee.asp#:~:text=Key%20Takeaways%201%20Medallion%20signature%20guarantees%20that%20an,you%20are%20already%20a%20customer.%20More%20items...%20

Not all banks are members of STAMP program. If you happen to be a client of a small bank that isn't, they will need to refer you to one of their correspondent banks for the guarantee. Yes, it can be a colossal hassle. It's one reason it's a good idea to be a client of a good-sized bank that can provide it.

[MyOwnPeace]

12. And if someone IS buying some.....

consider who will 'cash' them if you don't 'last that long.'
I was married and we had each had 'individual' bonds and later bonds with both names.
I lost my wife to MS and it was quite the effort to be able to cash them since they were only in her name.
The ones we had bought in 'both names' are just fine.

[Tomconroy]

13. My mother lost some HH bonds

We went through the process of filling out the form, having it certified at the bank and sending it off to an office in Minnesota. We did not have the details of serial numbers and when purchased. I think all they really need is your name and social security number. We also did the form to cash them out. Sure enough, the money appeared in her account a few weeks later.

[Ferrets are Cool]

15. Thank you

[JohnSJ]

14. Try this

If your paper EE bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed, we need the following information before searching for the record of your bond:

Bond serial number -- If you don’t have the bond serial number, provide all of the following:
Specific month and year of purchase
Social Security Number
Names, including middle names or initials
Mailing address

https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_bonds_eereplace.htm

[Ferrets are Cool]

16. Yeah, the year and month I bought them is going to be a close guess