Despite a year-long special awareness and customer outreach campaign by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), unclaimed deposits worth nearly ₹78,876 crore were still lying in banks as of March 31, 2026, according to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The RBI had launched a nationwide campaign between April 2025 and March 2026 to help customers trace and recover unclaimed deposits. Through awareness drives, customer search initiatives and the RBI’s “UDGAM” portal, banks were directed to identify inactive accounts and contact depositors or their legal heirs.
As part of the campaign, customers reportedly recovered around ₹5,843 crore, including interest, from dormant and unclaimed bank accounts.An “unclaimed deposit” refers to money lying in savings accounts, fixed deposits, current accounts or other bank deposits where no transaction has taken place for 10 consecutive years. Such funds are transferred to RBI’s Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF). However, account holders or their nominees/legal heirs can still claim the amount later.
Experts say a major reason behind the huge volume of unclaimed deposits is the lack of nomination details in bank accounts and the absence of information among family members after the death of account holders. Old addresses, changed mobile numbers, migration and lack of financial awareness have also contributed to the problem.
The RBI’s UDGAM portal now allows customers to search for inactive or unclaimed deposits across multiple banks. Banks have also been instructed to reach customers through SMS, email alerts, advertisements and special outreach camps.
Banking experts have advised customers to regularly operate their accounts, update contact details and ensure nominee information is added to avoid deposits becoming unclaimed in the future.
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