Unclaimed Bank Deposits Near Rs 98,000 Crore; PSU Banks Open and Close Branches
As of January 31, 2026, unclaimed bank deposits transferred to the Reserve Bank of India's Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund reached approximately Rs 98,073 crore. These deposits include savings, current, and term accounts inactive for over 10 years. Major contributors include State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank. The RBI uses the fund to promote depositor interests and financial literacy. Banks have also opened and closed thousands of branches over recent years, with wilful defaulters owing over Rs 2.85 lakh crore reported by public sector banks.
First-hand measurement across 3 sources
We measured how 3 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is neutral (51/100). Lens Score 48/100.
Outlets measured: businessstandard, news18, moneycontrol. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (50–52/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
moneycontrol broke this story on 11 Aug, 01:20 pm. Other outlets followed.