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Forgotten bank accounts

Banks do not keep an inactive account open forever. After a set number of years with no activity, the money is usually moved somewhere else — to the central bank, to a government fund, or to a state unclaimed-property office. The money is still yours. It just is not at your branch any more, which is why calling the branch often gets you nowhere.

You may have this if…

Where to search — 1 official destination

These are the organisations that actually hold this money. Open them directly. You will not be asked to pay to search.

✓ Verified 2026-09-13

Bank of Canada — Unclaimed Balances

Run by Bank of Canada

What it covers
Canadian-dollar balances at federally regulated banks and trust companies that were left inactive and then transferred to the Bank of Canada.
How the claim works
Search the public register by name, then file a claim through the Bank of Canada's Unclaimed Properties Office. The search itself is public and free.
Open the official service ↗

Source: Official page on the Bank of Canada's own domain, which directs searches to unclaimedproperties.bankofcanada.ca.
How we checked: We fetched and read the page on 2026-09-13.

Your next steps

  1. Gather what identifies you. Old addresses, maiden or former names, account or policy numbers, employer names and the years you were there. Most searches are by name, and old names matter.
  2. Search every name you have used, and every spelling. Records are entered by hand and get misspelt.
  3. Search for relatives too if you may be an heir or nominee — these amounts are commonly sitting under a parent's name.
  4. Claim directly with the organisation that holds it. They will ask for proof of identity and proof of your link to the money. That is normal. A request for a fee to release the money is not.
  5. Expect it to take weeks, not minutes. Official verification is slow. Slowness is a sign you are in the right place, not the wrong one.

⚠️ Before you pay anyone, read this

  • Searching is free everywhere on this site. Every destination we route you to is an official government or regulator service that does not charge you to look.
  • You never need a recovery agent. Firms that offer to "recover" your money for a percentage are doing a search you can do yourself in a few minutes.
  • No official service will ask you to pay a fee to release your own money. A request for an advance fee, a processing charge, or a tax payable up front is the single clearest sign of a scam.
  • Type the address yourself, or use our link. Do not follow links from an unexpected email, SMS or WhatsApp about unclaimed money, and do not scan a QR code to receive a payout.
  • Nobody legitimate needs your password, OTP or full card number to help you find unclaimed money.
Let’s Find Money does not hold, recover, or guarantee any funds. We are not a government service and we are not affiliated with any of the organisations we link to. We do not search on your behalf, we do not see your results, and we hold no claimant data. What we do is point you to the official service that actually holds the money, so you can search it yourself, free. Rules, eligibility and processes are set by those organisations and can change — always read their own guidance.