Did your parents or grandparents have bank deposits that they have just not claimed due to some reason? Well, RBI just provided a solution to this issue. A couple of months back, in April 2023, the RBI Governor announced the creation of a centralised portal that will help depositors or their beneficiaries get access to their unclaimed deposits and claim them after due verification. The portal is now live with 7 banks integrated into it. Learn all about The RBI UDGAM portal in this blog and how you can claim your unclaimed deposits from the registered banks.
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What is an unclaimed deposit?
An unclaimed deposit refers to a deposit that has remained inactive for a period of ten years or more. In such cases, banks transfer the funds to the “Depositor Education and Awareness” (DEA) Fund, a dedicated fund managed by the RBI. Deposit holders have the opportunity to reclaim their unclaimed deposits with accrued interest from their respective banks where the deposit was originally held. The rise in unclaimed deposits can be attributed to deposit holders not closing their accounts (savings, current or any FDs) or when the deposit holder passes away and their family or heirs are supposed to get the funds in the account but failed to claim it.
What is UDGAM?
In response to the escalating instances of unclaimed deposit, the RBI has been diligently orchestrating awareness campaigns that are aimed at educating the general public about this issue. The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a groundbreaking solution that will cater to individuals in search of their unclaimed deposits. The UDGAM portal, Unclaimed Deposits – Gateway to Access InforMation, is a revolutionary centralised portal that is meticulously crafted to simplify the process of locating the unclaimed deposits that are held across various banks.
UDGAM is a user-friendly tool launched by RBI that will be instrumental in helping citizens locate their unclaimed deposits and actively engage with respective banks to initiate the process of reclaiming them. The portal has been developed by RBI in collaboration with Reserve Bank Information Technology Pvt Ltd (ReBIT), Indian Financial Technology & Allied Services (IFTAS), and select banks.
List of banks on UDGAM portal – latest updates
- State Bank of India
- Punjab National Bank
- Central Bank of India
- Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd
- South Indian Bank Ltd
- DBS Bank India Ltd
- Citibank
- Canara Bank
- Bank of India
- Bank of Baroda
- Indian Bank
- Union Bank of India
- HDFC Bank
- Federal Bank
- Kotak Mahindra Bank
- ICICI Bank
- UCO Bank
- Bank of Maharashtra
- IDBI Bank
- Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd.
- Punjab and Sind Bank
- Axis Bank Ltd.
- Indian Overseas Bank
- Standard Chartered Bank
- HSBC Ltd.
- Karnataka Bank Ltd.
- The Karur Vysya Bank Ltd.
- Saraswat Co-operative Bank
- Indus Ind Bank
- Tamilnad Mercantile Bank
The search facility for the other banks on this portal will be available in a phased manner by October 15, 2023.
How to register on UDGAM?
In order to use the UDGAM portal launched by the RBI, users will have to primarily register on this portal. The process to register for this portal is mentioned below.
- The first step is to go to the UDGAM website using the link https://udgam.rbi.org.in/unclaimed-deposits/#/register
- Here, users will have to provide their valid phone number and name for registration.
- Users will then have to create a password and input a Captcha code.
- The next step is to check the designated box and proceed by clicking “Next.”
- Finally, the registration will have to be validated by entering the OTP received on the mobile number.
How to check unclaimed deposits using the UDGAM portal?
After successfully completing the registration process on the UDGAM portal, the deposit holders and their beneficiaries can access the portal using valid login details. The process to check the unclaimed deposits on the UDGAM portal is mentioned below.
- Visit the login portal of UDGAM using the link https://udgam.rbi.org.in/unclaimed-deposits/#/login and press Enter.
- Following this, the users will have to use their registered mobile number and password along with the Captcha code to login to the UDGAM portal.
- The portal will send an OTP which has to be submitted for verification
- Once authenticated, the users will be directed to the next page where they will have to provide mandatory details in the field labelled “Name of Account Holder” where they have to provide the relevant account holder’s name.
- Additionally, a list of banks is displayed, from which the users must select the appropriate bank that pertains to their case.
- After successful login, users will have to use any of the following criteria to search for the details of the unclaimed deposits. The search criteria include,
- PAN
- Voter ID
- Driving License Number
- Passport number
- Date of Birth
- If there are any details of any unclaimed deposit account available on the portal in relation to the name of the account holder and any of the search parameters, the same will be displayed on the next screen.
Conclusion
The UDGAM portal of the RBI is a strong step in addressing the long-standing issues of the depositors and their families in helping them claim the funds that are rightfully theirs. This portal is also the latest addition to revolutionising the banking sector and further promoting transparency in the same.
