For banks, an incidental bonus of looking after people's money is that sometimes it is effectively left in dormant accounts when they are careless enough to die without bothering to tell relatives about their stash of loot. Dormant accounts have become an embarrassing issue for Swiss banks who have finally confronted their consciences in revealing that 1,872 dormant accounts held by foreign nationals contained $44 million (£27 million). A further list of Second World War dormant accounts held by Swiss nationals is also due to be revealed. The four Irish banks have an estimated £2 million in dormant accounts (estimated as accounts over 25 years old). They are happy to reveal details to relatives who can establish a claim when the account holder is dead.

"It is not as clear cut as dormant accounts being dead money. Sometimes it is and sometimes it is people not wishing their money to be touched. They are accounts that simply have had no activity for some time. "They go onto a dormant account status which means they come off the daily main computer. If we have no notification by the account holder, we do not do anything with it," says Eilis O'Brien of the Bank of Ireland.

She says the issue underpins the importance of making a will. Where a will is made claims can be established in a satisfactory way, especially when there a sole surviving relative involved. If the account exists, and the claimant proves to be the beneficiary, the bank is bound to abide by the will.

When there is a valid will the executor may trace an account through the bank. An account number or name can be used to find the whereabouts of the deceased person's money.