State goes after savings accounts for deadbeat parents

Financial institutions across Iowa are helping state officials squeeze money out of so-called deadbeat parents. Since mid-May, Iowa’s Child Support Recovery Unit has worked with dozens of banks and credit unions to search for accounts of parents who haven’t paid the child support they owe.Collections bureau chief Nancy Thoma says 100-thousand dollars has been brought in so far, in just over a month. Once a positive match is made between names on accounts and parents who owe money, the state can go after the money. Thoma says it’s a time-consuming process.Thoma says the money recovered from the “deadbeats” is passed along to the overdue families and to the state.Even though 100-thousand dollars sounds like a lot, Thoma says only a fraction of the money has been brought in. She says over 800 million dollars is owed.More than 50 Iowa financial institutions are taking part in the program.