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Searching for a bank account: what you need to know as a professional

7 min Reading time

When someone passes away, the heir doesn't always know where the deceased held a bank account or securities or which bank they rented a safe deposit box from. Febelfin's Bankresearch service can help you find this information from its member banks. Public Social Welfare Centers (OCMWs) can also request a bank investigation for the elderly or aid applicants.

 

What can you use the Bankresearch service for?

 

The Bankresearch service can be used in various situations:

  1. In the case of a death: You can request a bank investigation on behalf of the heir/heirs as a notary, curator (in the case of an unattended estate), or lawyer.
  2. In the case of preliminary guardianship: You, as the interim guardian, can make the request.
  3. For an investigation into the elderly, aid applicants, etc.: You, as an OCMW employee, can make the request.

As an individual, you can also request a bank investigation (as an heir or interim guardian). Here you can find more information on this .

Through a bank investigation, you can find out whether someone was a customer of one or more banks during a period of 3 years before their death (counting from today) or before the commencement of preliminary guardianship.

Bankresearch does not handle requests related to divorce (unless there is an explicit court order to search for bank assets), moral investigations, bankruptcy, or fraud cases.

This service also does not search for (life) insurance contracts.

What information does Bankresearch need?

 

Bankresearch needs information about both you and the person you want to investigate.

I am a notary Show less
  • Your mailing address
  • Your email address (a BelNot address)
  • VAT number if you have one
  • Name and surname of the deceased
  • Address of the deceased
  • Place of birth and date of birth of the deceased
  • Place and date of death of the deceased
  • Any other information that can make the search more efficient (marital status, national registry number, etc.)
I am a curator of an unattended estate Show less
  • A copy of the full appointment order as curator
  • Your mailing address
  • Your email address
  • VAT number if you have one
  • Name and surname of the deceased
  • Address of the deceased
  • Place of birth and date of birth of the deceased
  • Place and date of death of the deceased
  • Any other information that can make the search more efficient (marital status, national registry number, etc.)
I am an attorney Show less
  • Your mailing address
  • Your email address VAT number if you have one
  • Name and surname of the deceased
  • Address of the deceased
  • Place of birth and date of birth of the deceased
  • Place and date of death of the deceased
  • Any other information that can make the search more efficient (marital status, national registry number, etc.)
  • A copy of the official death certificate
  • Proof of the capacity of the person making the request (heir): certificate of acknowledgment, inheritance certificate, or certificate of inheritance
  • A copy of the front and back of the heir's ID card
  • A power of attorney from the heir
I am a provisional administrator Show less
  • Your mailing address
  • Your email address
  • VAT number if you have one
  • Name and surname of the person to be protected
  • Address of the person to be protected
  • Place of birth and date of birth of the person to be protected
  • Any other information that can make the search more efficient (marital status, national registrynumber, etc.)
  • A copy of the complete court decision appointing the provisional guardian
I work for an OCMW Show less
  • Your mailing address
  • Your email address
  • Name and surname of the person to be investigated
  • Address of the person to be investigated
  • Place of birth and date of birth of the person to be investigated
  • Any other information that can make the search more efficient (marital status, national registry number, etc.)
  • Authorization from the person to be investigated with a legalized signature
  • A copy of the front and back of the ID card of the person to be investigated

How does my request proceed?

 
  1. You provide all the necessary information and documents to the Bankresearch service via email: bankresearch@febelfin.be or by post: Bankresearch, Koning Albert II-laan 19, 1210 Brussels.
  2. Bankresearch processes your request and verifies its completeness. You will receive a confirmation of receipt with a request to transfer 151.25 euros (125 euros + 21% VAT). Once we receive the payment, we will forward your request to our member banks on the next Thursday.
  3. Our members will process your request within 15 working days, starting from the day Febelfin sends the request to them.
  4. If you receive a response from one or more of our member banks, it will confirm that there is/was a relationship between "bank X and customer Y."
  5. You will also find the contact information of the person or department to contact for more information.
  6. If you do not receive a response from our member banks within 15 working days, you can assume that the answer is negative.

How to contact Bankresearch?

 

You can contact Bankresearch:

Terms and Conditions of Bankresearch Show less

Bankresearch endeavors to send the request to as many of its members as possible but cannot guarantee that all members will actually receive the request.

Febelfin itself does not have access to the requested information or how the banks follow up on the request.

Febelfin cannot be held liable for the further processing of the bank investigation request by the involved banks.

The cost of 151.25 euros only covers the processing by Febelfin and the response regarding whether or not someone had a customer relationship with a bank. The costs do not cover additional inquiries, such as questions about account balances and histories. For these, banks may charge additional fees.

If you request a bank investigation, Febelfin will process your personal data and the personal data of the person mentioned in the request in accordance with the procedure described above.

Your personal data will not be retained longer than necessary for the intended purposes of processing. In our privacy statement, you can find more information about our processing of personal data and how to exercise your rights.

According to privacy protection legislation, the responses from the member banks must be sent directly to the requester. Febelfin does not receive information from its members.

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