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Start with what you can see. passbooks, bank SMS and emails on his phone, cheque books, ATM cards, salary or pension credits. Then check his income tax return, which lists bank accounts. Then search the RBI's UDGAM portal for unclaimed deposits in his name. Then ask the cooperative banks and societies in his area directly. Most families find one or two accounts they did not know about.
Start with what you can see. passbooks, bank SMS and emails on his phone, cheque books, ATM cards, salary or pension credits. Then check his income tax return, which lists bank accounts. Then search the RBI's UDGAM portal for unclaimed deposits in his name. Then ask the cooperative banks and societies in his area directly. Most families find one or two accounts they did not know about.
A son finds three bank passbooks. The father's last tax return lists five accounts. UDGAM shows a sixth, dormant since 2011, at a bank that has since merged. A neighbour mentions a seventh, at the local service cooperative.
There is no single registry of a person's bank accounts. The search is triangulation: physical documents, digital traces, tax filings, the unclaimed-deposits pool, and community knowledge.
Phone: banking apps, SMS, emails Tax returns (a CA may have them) UDGAM search Salary/pension credit accounts Cooperative banks and societies nearby Joint accounts with spouse Locker in any bank
Not checking the phone before it is wiped or the SIM is cancelled.
Kerala's cooperative sector is enormous and mostly off the digital trail. Ask the local society, the neighbour, the church/temple committee treasurer. Seriously.
Seven accounts found through five different methods over six weeks. Total recovered: ₹11.4 lakh, including ₹2.1 lakh in a dormant account.
None. do all of it.
Secure the phone Get the last tax return Search UDGAM
How do I find forgotten bank deposits? How do I search UDGAM for a deceased parent? What happens to a joint bank account when one person dies?
Family support · Documents
RBI guidance on deceased depositors' claims and UDGAM portal · SEBI/AMFI transmission procedures · IRDAI claim guidelines · Kerala Registration and Revenue Department procedures for legal heirship · Indian Succession Act / Hindu Succession Act as applicable Rates, limits and whether you may qualify change. Confirm with the official source. Ask Kerala Rising: Start with a Family Asset Inventory. Send us what you know so far. even a name and a bank. and we will help you work through every place worth checking. WhatsApp +1 443 595 9000 · keralarising.com Kerala Rising › Family › After a death · After a death 3
This page is general orientation, not personal insurance, investment, medical, legal, lending, tax, or professional advice. Rules, rates, benefits, and claim or application decisions can change. Confirm the current position with the named official source and use a licensed or qualified professional where your situation requires one. Kerala Rising does not decide whether you may qualify, approve claims, or promise an outcome.