(MONEY Magazine) – Behind your faulty memories or bad record keeping may lie a pleasant surprise. One in eight Americans has forgotten about an asset--a bank account, IRA or stock, or an uncollected paycheck or utility deposit. Now the Internet is making it easier to find missing money.

Typically, if a bank, brokerage or other company hasn't heard from you in five years, the institution sends your assets to the state unclaimed-property office, where almost all are held in perpetuity. At www.missingmoney.com, a new website run by CheckFree and the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, you can search for what's yours. So far, the site has data from only 12 states (Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin). By this summer, information from at least 40 states should be available. In the meantime, MissingMoney.com will link you to other states' websites or provide contact information.

The search is simple and free. Type in a name and any matches will appear with the owner's last-known address and, in some cases, the amount. If the loot is yours, you'll have to file paperwork to collect.

The federal government also has unclaimed money. Last year, the IRS got back almost $72 million in undeliverable refund checks. Call 800-829-1040 if you think one of them is yours. If you suspect you're entitled to a pension, check out search.pbgc.gov.

--JOAN CAPLIN