Unclaimed bank account balance

Liability: Bank of Canada

If you are the executor of an estate or an heir and you need to claim the balance of a savings account, chequing account or financial products, you can contact the Bank of Canada. You are required to provide certain documents to prove the death of the account holder.

1. If you believe you are the rightful owner of the unclaimed balance in a savings, chequing or negotiable instrument account

To release your funds, the Bank of Canada must receive confirmation of your signature from the financial institution where the account was held.

Click on the account related to the balance you wish to claim, then click on "Claim Form". Then print the Refund Authorization Form. Complete the "To be Completed by Claimant" section and send it to the financial institution whose address is listed on the Refund Authorization Form in Step 2. This financial institution should be able to confirm to the Bank of Canada that you are the owner of the funds by completing their portion of the form and returning it to us.

In some cases, the branch where the unclaimed balance was held may be closed. If we do not have an address available in our system for that branch, the following message will appear on your screen:

The address for this financial institution is not available on this website. To claim this account, please contact us.

If the financial institution to which you have sent the payment authorization form informs you that they cannot guarantee your signature, they will need to indicate this on the form. You will then need to provide the Bank of Canada with the form or letter returned by the financial institution and documentation to prove your eligibility for the balance, such as

• an original bankbook or bank statement
• proof that you have resided at the address listed under "Unclaimed Balance Details";
• a certificate of name change.

If you are unable to provide such documentation and believe you are the rightful owner of a balance, please send the payment authorization form sent to you by the financial institution, along with a short letter explaining your case to the following address

Bank of Canada
Unclaimed Balances Department
234 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G9

It may take 30 to 60 days to process your request and you may be contacted for further documentary evidence.

If you believe you are entitled to an unclaimed negotiable instrument, please contact us to receive the appropriate claim forms.

2. As an Heir

To find out what legal documentation you must provide in order to have your claim processed, please contact us. You will need to provide us with the following information

• Your name and address;
• your relationship to the deceased owner of the unclaimed balance
• legal documentation showing that you represent the estate or are an heir (power of attorney, will);
• whether a third party is entitled to the balance in question
• documentation proving that the deceased resided at the address provided to the Bank of Canada by the financial institution that transferred the balance.

3. As an agent of an organization

To find out what legal documents you need to provide in order to process your application, please contact us. You will need to provide us with the following information

• Your name and address;
• the name of the organization with an unclaimed balance
• the status of the organization (e.g. active or dissolved corporation) and documentation to support this status (e.g. a certificate of solvency or dissolution from the appropriate government department)
• legal documentation to support your authority;
• whether a third party is entitled to the balance in question.

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