Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner Looks Back on Her First Year in Office and Ahead to 2026

In 2025, Treasury returns nearly $60 million in unclaimed property, delivers solid investment returns, and saves taxpayers over $100 million through strategic debt management

SALEM, OR — In 2025, Oregon State Treasury (OST) Treasury staff supported the financial wellbeing of Oregonians through a number of major accomplishments, despite federal actions that injected uncertainty into a struggling national economy and placed financial strain on the budgets of many households across the state. Today marks the first anniversary of Treasurer Steiner’s first full year in office in 2025.

"Last year, Treasury continued to help Oregonians grow their savings for retirement and education, build schools and roads in their communities, and reclaim lost property," State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner said. "At a time when the federal government is turning its back on so many Oregon residents and businesses, I’m proud that Treasury remains a reliable partner Oregonians can count on to strengthen their financial wellbeing."

Key 2025 Achievements:

• Treasury championed the Climate Resilience Investment Act (CRIA). The new law encourages OST to pursue profitable climate positive investments that reduce the carbon footprint of the Oregon Public Employee Retirement Fund (OPERF) in the context of Treasury’s fiduciary responsibility to retirees. The law gained bipartisan legislative approval with support from all public employee unions.
• Returned almost $60 million in unclaimed property to rightful owners through more than 61,000 claims.
• The Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund (OPERF) exceeded the PERS system's assumed rate of return of 6.9% for the period ending September 30, 2025, with 1-year performance at 6.92%, 5-year at 8.85%, and 10-year at 8.20%.
• The Common School Fund delivered an 11.4% one-year return, with nearly $1 billion distributed to Oregon public K-12 schools over the past 15 years.
• Completed seven bond issuances totaling over $2 billion. Strategic timing and pricing saved Oregon taxpayers more than $100 million in debt servicing costs while funding housing, school construction, and other critical state needs.
• Quadrupled the education savings incentive to $100 for young families in the popular Embark Baby Grad and Kinder Grad programs, providing an added boost to start saving.

Looking ahead to 2026, Treasurer Steiner said, “In the coming year, Treasury will stay focused on growing assets for Oregonians in the funds we manage, reducing investment risks—especially from greenhouse gas emissions—and giving more Oregonians tools to achieve their dreams.”