Practically ₹1 lakh crore value of financial institution deposits has been transferred to the Reserve Financial institution of India’s Depositor Training and Consciousness (DEA) Fund, highlighting the size of cash mendacity untouched as a result of account holders or their households haven’t claimed it.
Knowledge shared by the finance ministry in Parliament confirmed that the quantity transferred to the DEA Fund stood at ₹98,073 crore as of 31 January 2026, up from ₹90,545 crore as of 30 June 2025. Separate information cited in Parliament confirmed ₹86,917.08 crore had been transferred to the fund as of 30 June 2026. The figures relate to totally different reporting dates and shouldn’t be learn as a steady month-on-month sequence.
The federal government stated outdated contact particulars, forgotten accounts and the loss of life of account holders are among the many causes deposits stay unclaimed. In a number of circumstances, nominees or authorized heirs could not find out about an account or could not have the paperwork wanted to determine their declare.
When does a financial institution deposit turn into unclaimed?
A financial savings or present account is usually categorised as inoperative when there have been no customer-induced transactions for greater than two years. If the stability stays unclaimed for 10 years, banks are required to switch the eligible quantity to the RBI’s DEA Fund.
The switch doesn’t imply that the cash is misplaced. Clients, nominees and authorized heirs can nonetheless method the involved financial institution and declare the quantity. As soon as a sound declare is settled, the financial institution is reimbursed by the RBI from the DEA Fund.
The RBI has additionally taken steps to make the method simpler. Banks have been directed to conduct particular drives to hint account holders, nominees and authorized heirs and periodically publish particulars of unclaimed deposits on their web sites.
The place contact data is offered, banks are required to succeed in out to clients by means of letters, electronic mail or SMS. E-mail and SMS communication is to be undertaken quarterly.
The RBI launched an incentive scheme in October 2025 beneath which banks can obtain 5%-7.5% of the unclaimed deposit quantity, topic to a cap, for each efficiently settled declare. The target is to encourage banks to actively hint rightful claimants and pace up settlements.
How will you discover forgotten financial institution deposits?
The RBI’s UDGAM portal permits clients to seek for unclaimed deposits throughout a number of taking part banks from a single platform. Nonetheless, UDGAM is a search facility and doesn’t itself course of or settle claims. As soon as a deposit is positioned, the claimant has to method the involved financial institution and full its declare course of.
The federal government has additionally been working in the direction of making restoration of unclaimed monetary belongings simpler throughout totally different monetary merchandise. A nationwide “Your Cash, Your Proper” marketing campaign was performed between October and December 2025, with particular camps organised throughout 748 districts to assist individuals hint and declare forgotten belongings.
As of 28 February 2026, unclaimed monetary belongings value ₹5,777 crore regarding 22.95 lakh claims had been returned to rightful house owners, in keeping with authorities information. The monetary belongings lined financial institution deposits, insurance coverage proceeds, mutual funds, shares and dividends.
For households, the important thing takeaway is to examine outdated financial institution accounts and deposits of deceased kin, notably the place nominee particulars could not have been up to date. Protecting financial institution information, nomination particulars and succession paperwork up to date also can cut back the probabilities of cash turning into unclaimed within the first place.
