(last amended on 1 October 2009)
1. Where can I find out whether there are dormant accounts or unclaimed assets at a bank or securities dealer to which I have a rightful claim?
The Swiss Bankers' Association, FINMA and Swiss diplomatic missions abroad occasionally receive queries from heirs of presumed bank clients with a bank or custodial account or safe deposit box with a bank in Switzerland who (has) ostensibly neglected to provide their heirs with the requisite information.
In order to safeguard the rights of these persons and facilitate their search for assets and to protect these assets against any misuse, the SBA Board of Directors has issued guidelines to banks in Switzerland. Furthermore, it has set up a central coordinating body with the Swiss Banking Ombudsman to prevent cases of hardship, i.e. for heirs of unclaimed assets or accounts that have remained dormant for an extended period of time (a dormant account or unclaimed assets refer to cases where the bank has lost contact with the client or is unable to re-establish contact. Address:
Swiss Banking Ombudsman
Bahnhofplatz 9
P.O. Box 1818
CH-8021 Zurich
(08:30–11:30 a.m.):
Phone +41 (0)43 266 14 14 German/English
Phone +41 (0)21 311 29 83 French/Italian
Fax +41 (0)43 266 14 15
2. Who can I contact if I have further questions?
questions@finma.ch or Phone +41 31 327 91 00