When you leave, leave: why it is better to close unused bank accounts and how to do it correctly
CrimeaPRESS reports:
According to financial market professionals, tens and even hundreds of thousands of so-called dormant (or non-re-registered) accounts have accumulated in Russian banks, most of them with small balances. A significant portion of Russians do not attach any importance to the fact that they have card accounts or demand accounts in some credit institution. And, as it turned out, in vain. Banks have become very active in using this resource for their own purposes.
The most common situation that old bills generate is annoying advertising of services by phone or SMS messages. According to the law, it is quite acceptable as long as the person remains a client, at least formally.
It is much more unpleasant when someone, after dismissal, forgets to close or reissue a salary card from a former employer and continues to use it from time to time. In this case, the bank can transfer this plastic card to another tariff, which provides for a service fee. And this will become clear only when the person already has a debt, and the bank may well collect it through a court order.
The main feature of this method of using “former salary earners” is that the judge most often makes a decision without calling the parties at all (and this is legal), and the plaintiff, having received a document in his favor, immediately sends it without the participation of bailiffs to the largest banks and receives the collected funds from them. While the unfortunate client goes to court to cancel the judicial act, while a full-fledged trial takes place, the money will bring profit to the former “salary” bank.
A different situation may happen to those who forgot to withdraw their deposit on time. Everything is simple here: after the expiration of the term, the bank will transfer the client’s money to a current account with the lowest possible interest rate. And if after some time the money is not claimed from the current account, then the bank may change the conditions and, for example, introduce a service fee, according to which a fee is charged if there has been no movement on the account for a long time.
This is one of the known ways to legally “zero” a client account. After which the bank sends a notification to the client: they say that due to the zero balance and lack of movement on the account, it is closed unilaterally. True, the largest Russian banks rarely do this; their “dormant” accounts can hang for years, simply giving bankers the opportunity to make money on the turnover of funds.
The expert also points out that currently the problem of account manipulation is most effectively resolved if you leave a request on the Central Bank website in a timely manner.
How to “remember” all your accounts.
With accounts opened after July 1, 2014, it’s easy. All valid ones are displayed in the taxpayer’s personal account on the website nalog.ru. After all, banks are required to notify tax authorities every time they open and close accounts.
But if the forgotten funds were deposited in banks before 2014, then you will have to not only strain your memory, but try to find bank documents or take your passport and go to the branches of all well-known banks to verify the data on your accounts in person.
By the way, you will need a passport, even if you were able to immediately remember the unclosed account. The thing is that, as a rule, closing an old account through a bank’s mobile application or online banking does not terminate the client relationship, which means that even if the account is reset, advertising spam will continue to arrive, since the bank automatically periodically checks your credit history in the credit bureau, after which he sends SMS messages with “advantageous offers”.
To ensure that messages or calls do not disturb you, you need to personally come to the bank and insist on terminating the service agreement, and also write an application to revoke consent to the storage and processing of personal data.
source: RIA News»
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