Oregon's Constitution directs the Department of State Lands (DSL) to administer estates for those who die without a will and without known heirs. The Department holds estates in trust for 10 years within the Common School Fund, and if no heirs are identified within that claim period, the proceeds from the estate permanently escheat to the fund.

With additional staff hired in 2006, the program has stepped up efforts to contact landlords, funeral homes, medical examiners and others to educate them about the agency's responsibilities, resulting in a significant increase in both the number of estates being managed by DSL and revenue from escheats.

"Our estates team is working on more outreach and education, and on streamlining processes," said Cynthia Wickham, DSL's assistant director for finance and administration. "We're focused on delivering a responsive program for all situations involving estates where there is no apparent will or heirs."