Government banks: Public sector banks (PSBs) have transferred unclaimed deposits of ₹35,012 crore as of February 2023 to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
“As per information available with the RBI, as of the end of February 2023, the total amount of unclaimed deposits transferred to RBI by PSBs in respect of deposits which have not been operated for 10 years or more was ₹35,012 crore,” Karad said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Bank Wise Data of Unclaimed Amount
SBI tops the list with an unclaimed amount of ₹8,086 crore, while Punjab National Bank has ₹5,340 crore and Canara Bank has ₹4,558 crore. These unclaimed deposits belong to 10.24 crore accounts transferred to the RBI.
| SBI | ₹8,086 crore |
| PNB | ₹5,340 crore |
| Canara Bank | ₹4,558 crore |
“Settlement of account (s) of deceased constituent are taken up on priority by SBI. SBI staff has been sensitised and instructions are reiterated in all forums of banks at regular frequency,” he said.
Steps taken by Government banks to settle this unclaimed amount
#1) For the convenience of SBI customers, the details or process of settlement of claims without legal representation in respect of account(s) of deceased constituents, the specimen of prescribed forms, as well as updated FAQs for easy understanding have been uploaded on SBI’s website.
#2) The banks have also been advised to consider launching a special drive for finding the whereabouts of the customers or legal heirs in respect of accounts which have become inoperative, where there are no transactions in the account over a period of two years.
#3) The banks are required to display the list of unclaimed deposits/inoperative accounts which are inactive/inoperative for ten years or more on their respective websites, with the list containing the names and addresses of the account holder(s) in respect of unclaimed deposits/ inoperative accounts.
#4) Banks have been advised by RBI to play a more proactive role in finding the whereabouts of the account holders whose accounts have remained inoperative.