In banks across northern Cyprus, a significant amount of money has been left idle in accounts that have not seen any transactions for over a decade. According to a list published in the Official Gazette, a total of 6,116,797 TL, 135,858 USD, 94,662 EUR, and 388,709 GBP is reported to be sitting unclaimed in these accounts.
These accounts have been neglected by their owners due to being subject to expiration. The published list includes the names of account holders, the dates of the last transactions, and information regarding the currencies. Investigations revealed that the oldest transaction date was found to be in 2015, while some accounts have not been active for much longer periods.
Expired Accounts and Amounts
According to calculations made by YENİDÜZEN newspaper, this total of approximately 42,944,000 TL includes 6,116,797.91 TL in Turkish Lira. The highest balance was recorded at Creditwest Bank Ltd. with an amount of 2,234,960.58 TL. Following this are Kıbrıs İktisat Bankası Ltd. with 1,231,202.19 TL and Asbank Ltd. with 900,218.31 TL.
Other banks listed are also noteworthy. For instance, TC Ziraat Bankası A.Ş. has 82,399.53 TL, while Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. holds 336,216.90 TL. Additionally, Kıbrıs Vakıflar Bankası Ltd. has 5,186.99 TL available.
Foreign Currency Account Status
When examining foreign currency accounts, a total of 135,858.66 USD is recorded across 11 banks. The highest balance among these accounts is found at Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. with 55,285.56 USD. Following that is Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. with 32,028.35 USD.
In terms of Euros, a total of 94,662.29 EUR was found to be held in necessary accounts across 18 different banks. The highest account balance was determined to be 30,060.20 EUR at TC Ziraat Bankası A.Ş. This is followed by Creditwest Bank Ltd. with 14,683.19 EUR and Bankmare Ltd. with 12,961.57 EUR.
Looking at the accounts in Sterling, a total of 388,709.06 GBP is noted. The largest portion of this amount is in an account at Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. with 112,405.55 GBP. Creditwest Bank Ltd. and Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. follow with amounts of 65,834.04 GBP and 60,367.26 GBP, respectively.
Under banking law, if account holders do not submit the necessary applications within one year from the date of publication, these accounts will be transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance and Financial Stability Fund.
In conclusion, these long-unutilized accounts are waiting for their owners’ attention. Account holders can claim their funds if they apply to the Central Bank of TRNC within one year from the current publication date.
Source: www.yeniduzen.com
