How to Claim Lost Savings Bonds
Since every U.S. savings bond is registered with the U.S. Treasury Department under a unique serial number, it is easy to replace it if something happens. By filling out a simple form, known as a PD F 1048, you will be able to claim any savings bonds that have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
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Instructions
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Ask your financial advisor or other secondary market resource, such as a bond broker, for the proper forms to fill out and send to the Treasury Department. In addition to filling out the standard 1048 form, you might have to send supplementary forms, notarized by a notary public, to further prove that you are the owner of the lost bond.
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Visit your local banking institution for help in acquiring and properly filling out the 1048 form. Many banks keep copies of these forms in their databases, and may even mail them or send them electronically if you are a preferred customer.
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Log onto TreasuryDirect, which is the official website for the U.S. Treasury where you can buy, sell and trade government bonds (see Resources below). On the website, you will be able to download all of the necessary forms to get your savings bond replaced. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat software in your computer, since the files are in a PDF format (see Resources below).
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Visit the nearest branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, where you will be able to fill out the forms in person. You can find the nearest branch that is convenient to you by checking out the official website of the Federal Reserve Board (see Resources below).
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Fill out all of the information on the PD F 1048 and send it to the Treasury Department through the TreasuryDirect website. The more information you have about the lost savings bonds, the easier it will be to claim them. While it is preferable to have the actual numbers of the bonds, you can still track them down using your name, address and social security number if needed.
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Tips & Warnings
Always write down the numbers to all of your Treasury bonds, and keep this list in a separate location, such as a bank safety deposit box or relative's house.
