Forgotten Savings Surge Nearly Sixfold to £217M as Britons Lose Track of Cash

NS&I says growing numbers of early-2000s Cash ISAs are going dormant, often lost through life changes. (Credit: NS&I Website)

The amount of forgotten money sitting in dormant cash ISAs at National Savings and Investments (NS&I) has surged nearly sixfold to more than £217M ($286M), as tens of thousands of Britons lose track of savings they put away years ago.

Newly released NS&I figures show the sum trapped in these dormant ISAs has climbed from £36.7M ($48M) in 2020/21 to more than £217M in 2024/25. The number of dormant accounts rose nearly fivefold over the same period, from 8,621 to 42,973, with each now holding an average of £5,061 ($6,680).