How to claim

1. As the rightful owner of an unclaimed balance savings account, chequing account, and/or negotiable instrument

To release the funds, the Bank of Canada requires a confirmation of your signature from the financial institution where the funds were intitially held.

Click on the account you wish to claim, click on "Claim Form," then print out the Payment Authorization form. Complete the "To be completed by Claimant" portion of the form, then forward it to the financial institution address noted in "STEP 2" of the Payment Authorization form. That bank should be able to confirm to the Bank of Canada that you are the rightful owner of the funds by completing their portion of the form and forwarding it to us.

In some cases, the branch where the unclaimed balance was held has been closed. If our system does not have a forwarding address for that branch online, the following message will appear on your screen:

The current address for this financial institution is not available online. Please contact us.

If the financial institution to whom you sent the Payment Authorization form informs you that they cannot guarantee your signature, they should still note this on the form. You will then have to provide the Bank of Canada with the form or letter that was returned by the financial institution along with documents proving your entitlement to the balance, for example:

• an original bank passbook or bank statement
• proof that you once resided at the address noted under "Account Information"
• a change of name certificate

If you are unable to provide such documents and believe you are the rightful owner of a balance, please send the Payment Authorization form you have received from the financial institution along with a note explaining your situation.

Forward these documents to:

It may take 30 to 60 days to process your claim. We may contact you to obtain additional documentary evidence.

If you believe that you are entitled to an unclaimed negotiable instrument, please contact us so that we may send you the required claim forms.

2. As an heir to the estate of the owner of the unclaimed balance

Please contact us directly so that we may inform you of the legal documentation we require to process your claim. Please be prepared to provide us with the following information:

• your name and current address
• your relationship to the deceased owner of the unclaimed balance
• legal documents proving that you are representing the estate, or are an heir to the deceased's estate (e.g., Power of Attorney, will)
• whether anyone else may have some entitlement to the balance in question
• documentation to prove that the deceased resided at the address provided to the Bank of Canada by the financial institution that transferred the unclaimed balance to us.

3. In your capacity as officer of an organization

Please contact us directly so that we may inform you of the legal documentation we require to process your claim. Please be prepared to provide us with the following information:

• your name and current address
• name of the organization with the unclaimed balance
• status of the organization (e.g., active or dissolved corporation) and documentation supporting this (i.e., Certificate of Good Standing or Dissolution from the appropriate crown)
• legal documents certifying that you are representing the interests of the organization
• whether another party may be entitled to the balance in question