Banks cannot take your money away but, in the interests of keeping it secure, they have a policy of making accounts dormant if they see no activity over a period. For a current account, banks will typically do this after three years if no transactions are performed, and getting the account up and running again is a case of proving that it is yours; a process that can take a little time.  Banks are required to notify the owners of the account in advance, but people move house and letters are often missed for one reason or another.

Reinstating your account is usually a case of satisfying the bank that you know sufficient about it; details of its history and the history of the person who set the account up in the first place. 

So if you have an account or two that you don’t use very often, put a note in your diary to remind you to  put £1.00 in just once a year.  Doing this will stop your account becoming dormant or inactive, and save you a lot of aggravation.  If you find your situation is more complicated than this, telephone the British Bankers’ Association on 0207 216 8909 or access their web page on dormant bank accounts.