How to trace lost bank accounts, forgotten pension pots, uncashed Premium Bonds, and unclaimed life insurance — including My Lost Account, the Pension Tracing Service, and the Dormant Assets Scheme.
This guide is part of ProbateHelp's Estate Assets guide cluster. Estimated reading time: 14 min.
There is no single legal definition. Most UK banks treat an account as dormant after 15 years of no customer-initiated activity. However, some banks act sooner — after as little as 3 years of inactivity. The money is not lost: it is transferred to the Dormant Assets Scheme, administered by Reclaim Fund Ltd, and can be reclaimed at any time.
There is no single comprehensive register. My Lost Account covers lost or dormant UK bank, building society and NS&I accounts. For pensions, the government's Pension Tracing Service gives provider contact details. For shares, Equiniti, Computershare and Link Group each hold registers for different companies. For life insurance, use ABI tracing guidance, bank-statement clues, advisers, employers and free lost-asset searches rather than assuming one register covers every insurer.
Yes. As executor or administrator, you have the legal authority to reclaim dormant assets on behalf of the estate. You will need to provide the grant of probate or letters of administration, the death certificate, and evidence of the account or policy. The institution will then release the funds to the estate.
Premium Bonds remain eligible for prizes for up to 12 months after the holder's death. After that, they must be cashed in. NS&I will pay the value of the bonds directly to the executor or administrator. You do not need probate for bonds worth less than £5,000; above that, NS&I will usually require the grant. Unclaimed bonds revert to NS&I after a period but can still be traced through the NS&I website.
Use the government's free Pension Tracing Service at gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details. You will need the name of the employer or pension provider. The service provides contact details only. It will not tell you whether the deceased had a pension there or what it was worth, so you still need to contact the provider directly with proof of death and your authority to act.
Generally yes, though the process becomes more complex over time. Dormant bank accounts transferred to the Dormant Assets Scheme can still be reclaimed by the legal owner or their estate. For shares, the position depends on whether the company is still listed and whether the registrar still holds the records. For life insurance, some older policies may have lapsed, but you should still check paperwork, bank statements, advisers, employers, ABI tracing guidance and free lost-asset searches.