What happens to unclaimed stock certificates?
Henry Morales
Published Mar 28, 2026
Sometimes, they disappear for a while, hiding in a safe-deposit box or a brokerage account the owner forgot about. Eventually, like unclaimed bank accounts and insurance policies, they pass to the state government’s control.
What happens to unclaimed stock dividends?
If the company has merged or gone out of business, the FDIC holds the unpaid dividends until the rightful owner steps up to claim them. Use the FDIC website’s search feature to find your unclaimed dividends along with the issuing institution. You can open a file online and receive your FDIC reference number.
How do you recover unclaimed stocks?
Any amount that remains unclaimed for over a period of seven years is transferred to Sebi’s Investor Education and Protection Fund. This, together with unclaimed provident funds, accounts for an additional amount of Rs 26,497 crore. So, take stock of your investments, or consult the experts.
How do you treat unclaimed dividends?
As per Section 124 of Companies Act, 2013 and rules made there under (“the Act”), where a dividend has been declared by a company but has not been paid or claimed within thirty days from the date of the declaration to any shareholder entitled to the payment of the dividend, the company shall, within seven days from the …
Are dividends unclaimed?
An unclaimed dividend is recorded when a shareholder fails to claim an already paid dividend while an unpaid dividend is the failure of a company to distribute dividends to shareholders after it has been announced. Shareholders are required to claim dividend within 30 days of when the dividend are declared.
How do I track down old shares?
You can trace other lost shares by contacting the three main share registrars: Link Asset Services (Linkgroup.eu or 0371664 0300); Computershare (); and Equiniti (Equiniti.com or 0371 384 2030).
