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Home › Indian Laws › Banking Regulation Act, 1949 › Section 26
Banking Regulation Act, 1949 · Section guide

Section 26: Return of unclaimed deposits

Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 18 September 2026

Section 26 — Return of unclaimed deposits. Requires an annual return of deposits remaining unclaimed for ten years, in the prescribed form/manner; the return. Is distinct from transfer of qualifying amounts to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund under section 26A.

Official statute linkedProvision-specific anatomyPractical case + evidence file
Official text: DFS consolidated Act

Statutory structure and provision map

This map is a provision-specific explanation, not a substitute for the exact statutory text.

Core statutory rule

Requires an annual return of deposits remaining unclaimed for ten years, in the prescribed form/manner.

Condition / limitation

the return is distinct from transfer of qualifying amounts to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund under section 26A.

Source and effective-date control

Apply the wording of Section 26 that was in force on the event date; use the official Act and any applicable commencement/amending instrument linked on this page.

Professional application

Explain unclaimed-deposit coverage, ageing, return date and prescribed form; distinguish reporting from transfer to the DEA Fund.

Evidence / working-paper checklist

  • Section 26 evidence: general-ledger / treasury reconciliation.
  • Section 26 evidence: return or financial statement submitted to RBI/Registrar.
  • Section 26 evidence: auditor sign-off or working papers where relevant.
  • Section 26 evidence: filing acknowledgement and calculation of the statutory reference date.

Retain the event date and source version with the file so the conclusion remains reproducible after later amendments.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • For Section 26, avoid using a legacy Friday/fortnight reference after the statutory date changed.
  • For Section 26, avoid submitting a return without a ledger reconciliation.
  • For Section 26, avoid assuming an extension exists without a written statutory/RBI basis.

Related sections inside the Act

Section 26A — Depositor Education and Awareness FundSection 45ZA — Nomination for payment of depositors’ moneySection 24 — Maintenance of a percentage of assetsSection 25 — Assets in IndiaSection 27 — Monthly returns and power to call for other returns and information

Use these links to read Section 26 in its statutory sequence, especially where the provision imports definitions, approvals, appeals, penalties or winding-up consequences from neighbouring sections.

Current-law source control

Source control: Section 26 is anchored to the official DFS consolidated text; later changes require separate Gazette verification.

Dated matters: verify any later Gazette, RBI direction or binding judgment affecting Section 26 on the event date.

Professional reading note

Professional reading note — Section 26 should be applied as a sequence, not as an isolated heading. Start with the factual trigger

for return of unclaimed deposits, then test the operative proposition: Requires an annual return of deposits remaining unclaimed for ten years, in

the prescribed form/manner. Next confirm the limiting or interaction point: the return is distinct from transfer of qualifying amounts to the Depositor

Education and Awareness Fund under section 26A. The working file should be capable of showing why the section applies to the relevant

bank or person, which statutory version governs the event date, and which documentary record proves the conclusion. Useful evidence on this page

includes Section 26 evidence: general-ledger / treasury reconciliation and Section 26 evidence: return or financial statement submitted to RBI/Registrar. Read the provision

in sequence with Section 26A — Depositor Education and Awareness Fund and Section 45ZA — Nomination for payment of depositors’ money. This

method keeps the legal answer tied to the provision itself while allowing RBI directions, rules and later instruments to be layered on

only where their own scope actually applies.

Disclaimer

This Finin2min page is an educational and professional reference. Banking regulation is fact-, entity- and date-sensitive. Verify the current Act, Gazette amendments and commencement notifications, applicable RBI Rules/directions and the transaction record before acting or filing.