Dormant Account Reactivation (2024)

FAQs

Dormant Account Reactivation? ›

A dormant bank account is one that has no activity for over 2 years. Banks do this to mitigate fraud, comply with regulations, and reduce costs. You can reactivate your account by making a transaction or contacting your bank. Banks have regulations in place to activate dormant accounts.

Reactivation process: To reactivate an inactive account, you can simply resume banking activities like making deposits, withdrawals or transfers. Some banks let you reactivate inactive accounts online. For dormant accounts, you must request reactivation from the bank and give identity proof.

Reactivating a dormant account is straightforward. You'll need to provide detailed information to your bank or building society, such as the account number, holder's name, balance, and any statements you have. This will help verify your identity and reclaim your funds.

You must submit a written application to the bank. For joint accounts, signatures of all accountholders will be needed, irrespective of a single or joint operating mode. You will have to submit your KYC (Know Your Customer) documents. These will include address proof, PAN Card, and identity documents.

How to activate a dormant account? To reactivate your dormant account online, you will need to submit an activation request to the bank via email or your bank's digital channels, such as internet banking and mobile apps. Alternatively, you can also visit your bank's nearest branch.

Generally, an account is considered abandoned or unclaimed when there is no customer-initiated activity or contact for a period of three to five years.

State law can dictate when a bank account is considered to be dormant and what happens to the money in it. A typical time frame is three to five years, though again, the rules can depend on where you live.

Once you submit the request with the bank in person, it may take few hours to 2-3 days, depending on your bank's internal processes to start the reactivation process. Once the bank satisfies itself with all the required formalities, your account will become active again.

If you have a current or savings account with us that you haven't used for some time, we might need to close it to help protect you from potential fraud, such as identify theft.

A dormant account with a very small balance may simply evaporate, reaching a zero balance due to monthly bank fees that exceed any interest paid. If not, the balance is turned over to the state, which will return it to the rightful owner upon request.

How much does it cost to reactivate a dormant bank account? ›

In most cases, banks do not impose fees for reactivating dormant accounts.

If the account stays inactive for more than 2 years, the bank renders the account status dormant. An account is also made dormant if the account holder doesn't withdraw any funds for 24 months. However, dormant accounts are free of statute limitations. This means the beneficiary may withdraw funds at any time.

The financial institution closes the account and sends any leftover funds to the state. This is an automatic legal process called escheatment. But the story is still not officially over. You do have options if your assets have been transferred to the state due to a forgotten or lost bank account.

Ans: No, you can't move money from your bank account to your dormant account. If you have a dormant bank account and need to transfer funds to it, you should call your bank and become familiar with the transfer method.

If your account has a zero balance when it's closed, it won't have an effect on your score. However, if you close the account when it has a negative balance, the bank may either send your account to a collection agency or come to a default arrangement with you.

Dear Sir, I/We do hereby request you to re-activate my/our Account no.: and A/C Title: for regular transaction, which has become dormant due to non-transaction since long I/We would appreciate if you take necessary action in this regard. Thank you.

1. Submitting a written application to the bank: An account holder must submit a written application to the bank to reactivate a dormant account. They can check whether their bank's mobile banking application offers the option of re-activating a dormant or inactive bank account.

You can also reach out to the bank's branch or customer care for account activation. To activate a dormant savings account, a formal request as well as proof of identity has to be submitted. The account activation process may also require your signature.

Key Takeaways. A dormant account is an account that has had no financial activity for a long period of time, except for the posting of interest. After the dormancy period, which varies by state, dormant accounts become the unclaimed property of the state.

Every bank is required to publish a list of inactive accounts and unclaimed deposits, with names and addresses. Check the website of each bank to know if your name is on any of the lists. If you find your name, or that of a relative's, visit the closest branch of the bank and fi ll up, sign and submit the claim form.