Inactive Accounts: 164 million euros to be returned in 2025 thanks to Ciclade
Forgotten savings accounts, unclaimed life insurance policies, bank accounts that have fallen through the cracks… Last year, the Caisse des Dépôts returned 164 million euros to rightful beneficiaries. This is an issue that is too often overlooked but deserves a place in your financial assessment.
A free, little-known but remarkably effective service
Since 2017, the Ciclade online service, managed by the Caisse des dépôts, has allowed anyone to search for free for long-lost bank accounts, forgotten children’s savings accounts, or life insurance policies of which they may be the beneficiary without realizing it.
Individuals, beneficiaries, or notaries can submit a claim for restitution directly through the platform at no cost. The process is simple, entirely online, and requires only a few pieces of identifying information to initiate a search. In addition to Ciclade, the AGIRA system specifically allows users to search for unclaimed life insurance policies. A simple letter accompanied by a death certificate is all that is needed to query all insurers in the market. These two tools complement each other and cover virtually all financial assets that may have been forgotten.
The figures released in mid-March 2026 by the Caisse des dépôts illustrate the scale of the phenomenon. In 2025, 200,000 claims for reimbursement were filed, resulting in a total of 164 million euros returned—an average of 943 euros per claim. These sums, when considered individually, may seem modest, but they often represent an unexpected windfall for the beneficiaries. In some cases, the amounts are significantly higher than this average, particularly for older life insurance policies whose funds have grown over several years. Children’s savings accounts opened by grandparents are also a common source of such discoveries, as beneficiaries are sometimes unaware of the very existence of these accounts.
Strict deadlines that warrant systematic verification
The legal framework is clear, but the deadlines are mandatory, and that is precisely where the challenge lies for savers. When an account remains inactive—that is, with no transactions or contact from the account holder for a specified period—the bank is required to report it and to write to the account holder regularly, urging them to get in touch. But these letters are often sent to old addresses and never reach their intended recipients. In the absence of a response, after a period of inactivity—generally set at ten years for checking accounts and savings accounts, or three years after the account holder’s death for life insurance policies—the account is automatically transferred to the Caisse des dépôts. In 2025, 758,000 accounts and policies were transferred in this manner, representing a total of 671 million euros. The scale of these annual transfers shows that the phenomenon is far from drying up and that millions of French people are potentially affected without even knowing it.
The most important point to remember: if these funds are not claimed within twenty years of their transfer to the Caisse des Dépôts, they are permanently forfeited to the State and overseas local governments. In 2025, 89 million euros were permanently transferred to public authorities under this provision. In other words, this money is permanently lost to savers or their heirs, with no possibility of recourse once the deadline has passed.
Systematically including a Ciclade check in your initial asset assessment is a simple step that can uncover unexpected assets. The process takes only a few minutes, is completely free, and can be completed with the client during the first meeting. In the event of an estate, it is particularly useful for identifying any life insurance policies whose designated beneficiaries have never come forward. Also, be sure to check accounts held in the name of the deceased spouse, under the spouse’s maiden name, or linked to former employers for any forgotten employee savings accounts.
