What is Unclaimed Property?

Unclaimed Property is PERSONAL PROPERTY like unclaimed bank accounts, stocks, insurance proceeds, utility deposits,           un-cashed cheques and other forms of personal property
For approximately 40 years, the USA has considered legislation relating to unclaimed property as a form of consumer protection.

In Canada..not so much

In the USA, there are two reporting periods each year whereby unclaimed property is reported first to the individual state's Unclaimed Property Office, then published in a local newspaper and then finally the property is turned over to the State for safe keeping until its rightful owner makes a claim. Seems reasonable enough. 


In the USA, each state sponsors a free public site that reports a portion of the unclaimed property available in the United States. Commercial sites also provide the same information or portions of the information for a fee.

In Canada, only 3 provinces have any sort of unclaimed property legislation in force. Federally, the Bank of Canada provides a free search for CDN bank account balances. However, the search only covers balances from Chartered Banks (not Credit Unions) and only for accounts that are in CDN dollars (no foreign amounts) that have not seen any activity for 10+ years.

It's time for Canada to talk about it and ensure that all Provinces have the proper legislation to protect Individuals and Families...from losing track.

Look for some family money here:
Bank of Canada Online Search tool