Dear Harry: My father passed away 19 years ago in New Jersey. I am his only child and was the executrix of his will.

All items were taken care of at that time, and all his assets were properly transferred to me.

About five months ago, I came across an article about unclaimed money. I went to the Web site, clicked on New Jersey, and my father's name was in the database. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had money coming to me.

I followed the instructions, supplied the necessary documents, and filed claims for the two accounts that they listed. The people in Trenton were very helpful and kind. I got the first check and deposited it to my account. About a week later I got the second check and tried to deposit it, but the teller insisted that I could not do it because the check was payable to my father's estate (so was the first check).

The manager insisted that I open a new account in the estate's name and get an EIN number from IRS. Fortunately, they did all this with me, and I got the new account and deposited my check . Do I have to put the amount from the first check into that account? How do I get the money out?

What Harry says: Easy enough. Do not deposit any more money into that account. I assume enough time has elapsed so that both checks have cleared. If you have blank checks for that account, merely draw a check payable to you to close it. If you do not have checks, any teller at the bank can give you a bank check.

Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood - contact the American Red Cross at 800-GIVE LIFE.