How to Check Old Bank Accounts

You may find evidence of an old bank account.

If you are moving to a new home or cleaning out the house of a deceased relative, you may come across old bank cards and statements and want to check whether the account is closed or if there are any funds remaining. When you can't locate the original institution, there are other ways you can check an old bank account.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access

Instructions

1. Contact the bank involved. If you can't locate the bank, search the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's directory of institutions. Look at insured institutions to see if the bank is still trading. You can trace the bank even if it has gone through a number of mergers.

2. Click on the certificate number when you find the matching institution at the FDIC website. If the bank is still open and trading, ask for a financial and demographic report on the bank. Note the bank's contact information.

3. Call the bank and ask if the account is still open. If the account has been inactive for years, then it could be dormant under state law. If the account is dormant, the assets may have been transferred to the state unclaimed property office. If the account has been dormant for fewer than 10 years, check the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators to see if the state has any funds. Provide proof of ownership for the release of the funds.

4. Check if the funds were transferred to another bank or the FDIC if the government closed the bank. If the funds are in the hands of the FDIC, the agency should send you an insurance check if you were the person who deposited the funds.

Tips & Warnings

• If the account has been dormant for ten years or more the money returns to the FDIC and you can no longer make a claim for it.

References

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: FDIC Consumer News
• National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators: Missing Money