W. Virginia man claims unused wealth

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, December 18, 2003

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Xavier Imperiale never spent more than half his paycheck, socking away the rest in savings and stocks. Now, at age 72, he’s uncovered a nest egg worth more than a half-million dollars.

With frugal habits and no car or credit cards to drain his cash, the West Virginia native had no need for the dividends his stock portfolio began to generate in the 1950s.

Imperiale, a bookkeeper, moved to Florida in 1959 but kept his permanent address in Bluewell. When he found out in the 1980s that the dividend checks his sister had been forwarding from West Virginia were being stolen from his mailbox, he told her to hang on to them.

Earlier this year, when Imperiale returned to Bluewell to settle his now-deceased sister’s estate, he contacted the state treasurer’s office to see what he could recover from more than two decades of uncashed checks.

On Wednesday, Imperiale celebrated his 72nd birthday by making his first trip to the state Capitol, where he collected two checks worth a total $633,909. One, for $630,838, is the largest unclaimed property check in state history.

Imperiale didn’t forget his growing pile of uncashed checks. He said he just never gave his unused wealth much thought.

"I’ve been working and always able to pay my way," he said.

Imperiale is considering giving most of the money to West Virginia University, Marshall University, Concord College and Bluefield State College.

He said he would likely spend some — maybe on a vacation — with his brother, Frank, who plans to return to Bluewell from Ohio.

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