FIXED DEPOSIT CLAIM LETTER
Claim for a fixed deposit after the death of the depositor
Date: __________, at __________
__________
To: The __________, __________, __________
From: __________, __________ (email __________, telephone __________)
Subject: Death of __________ and claim for the fixed deposit(s) __________
Sir or Madam,
- 1. The deposit. __________ placed the following with your branch: __________ The deposit is a __________, was opened on __________ for __________, and is due to mature on __________. The deposit is held __________.
- 2. The death. __________ died on __________ at __________. The death certificate is __________, and a copy is enclosed. Please record the death against the deposit from that date.
- 3. My right to claim. I am the __________ of the person who died. __________
- 4. The other heirs. The legal heirs of __________ are: __________ __________
- 5. The deposit receipt. __________
- 6. How the deposit is to be dealt with. __________
- 7. What I ask you to do.
(a) Mark the deposit as that of a deceased depositor, and do not renew it, roll it over or pay interest to any other person from today.
(b) Tell me in writing the amount payable on the date of death and the amount payable today, with the interest worked out at each date and the rate on which you have worked it.
(c) Tell me whether any charge or reduction in interest applies because the deposit is closed before it matures on account of the death, and the rule on which you rely.
(d) Give me the list of forms and papers you need, and say whether you will settle on the papers I name or ask for a court certificate.
(e) Pay the amount due to the account described in paragraph 8, together with the interest earned and any interest credited since the death.
(f) Give me the certificate of interest paid and of tax deducted at source for the deposit, in the form you issue to depositors.
- 8. Where to pay. Please pay the amount to the account held by __________ with __________, account ending __________. I will give the full account number on your own form and not in this letter.
- 9. What I accept. I understand that a nominee or a surviving joint holder is paid so that you are safely discharged, and that this does not by itself decide who owns the money as against the other heirs. If you pay and it is later found that someone else had a better right, I will account to that person for what I received.
- 10. If the claim is not settled. If you reject the claim or do not reply within 30 days, I will take the matter to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman, and I am free to bring a consumer complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Please acknowledge this letter and tell me the name and telephone number of the officer who will handle the claim.
ENCLOSURES
__________
LEGAL BASIS
Punjab: A bank may pay a deposit on the death of the depositor to the nominee, or to the surviving holder of a joint deposit, and the payment discharges the bank; the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 contains the provisions on nomination of deposits. A nominee is paid so that the bank is discharged and does not by that fact alone become the owner as against the other heirs; the order in which a Hindu's heirs inherit is set by sections 8 and 15 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and other communities follow their own law. Where there is no nominee, the bank may ask for proof of heirship or for a succession certificate, which the District Judge grants under sections 372 and 373 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The bank decides the claim through its branch manager and nodal officer. A claimant who is not satisfied can complain to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, after a rejection or 30 days without a reply, and within 90 days, or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission under section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court, and an appeal goes to the District Judge or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Chandigarh: The same provisions apply to a bank in the Union Territory: nomination under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, inheritance under the personal law of the deceased, and a succession certificate granted by the District Judge, Chandigarh under sections 372 and 373 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The bank decides the claim through its branch manager and nodal officer. A claimant who is not satisfied can go to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission serving the Union Territory under section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court at Chandigarh, with an appeal to the District Judge, Chandigarh, or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
PERSONAL DATA NOTICE
This notice is given under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
The purpose of collecting the personal data in this letter is to identify the depositor who died and the claimant, record the claim to the deposit and the choice of closing or holding it, and let the bank pay the amount due or say what more it needs.
The record will be held by __________ and may be shared with the bank and its nodal officer, the other legal heirs, the court that grants a certificate, the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman or any Commission or court that hears the matter, and the claimant's advocate.
If the matter does not proceed, the personal data will be retained for 90 days and then erased. If the matter proceeds, the record will be retained for the transaction or authority matter plus 12 months, except where a statute requires a longer named retention period.
A person named in this document may request correction or erasure where the purpose has ended, withdraw consent for future consent-based processing, or raise a grievance by writing to __________. The record-holder should acknowledge and reply within 30 days.
Data minimisation: this document does not collect a full Aadhaar number, an Aadhaar-card copy, a password or bank credentials.
Personal-data instruction: __________.
SIGNATURE
______________________________
Signature
Claimant: __________
Place: ____________________
Date: ____________________