Top 5 Companies in IEPF with Highest Unclaimed Shares
Top 5 Companies in IEPF with Highest Unclaimed Shares – Updated 2025 Analysis
Every year, thousands of investors lose track of their shares due to outdated KYC, address changes, signature mismatches, or the death of the original shareholder. As a result, crores worth of equity gets transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF). If you’re searching for the Top 5 companies in IEPF with the highest unclaimed shares in 2025, this detailed analysis will help you understand where most investors have unclaimed wealth — and why.
This guide is based on trends, reported filings, investor behaviour, and transfer patterns observed across the Indian corporate sector.
Why So Many Shares Get Transferred to IEPF?
Before exploring the Top 5 companies in IEPF, it’s crucial to understand why shares remain unclaimed:
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Investors forget to claim dividends for many years
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Physical share certificates are lost or damaged
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KYC is never updated (signature, PAN, Aadhaar, bank details)
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Investors pass away and families remain unaware of the investments
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Notices from companies go unnoticed due to relocation or non-updated email
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Corporate mergers and demergers cause tracking issues
These recurring issues have led to huge volumes of shares landing in IEPF.
Top 5 Companies in IEPF with Highest Unclaimed Shares (2025)
Below is a fresh insight into the companies where investors have the highest volume of unclaimed shares.
1. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)
Reliance continues to top the list in 2025 because it has one of the largest shareholder bases in India. Many investors bought shares in the 1990s and early 2000s but never dematerialised them. Due to physical certificate issues and missing dividend claims, thousands of shares from RIL end up with IEPF every year.
2. Tata Steel Limited
With a long legacy and millions of retail investors, Tata Steel has a significant number of unclaimed shares. Many old physical shareholders, especially senior investors, never updated address and signature details, resulting in multiple years of unclaimed dividends that eventually transferred to IEPF.
3. ITC Limited
ITC often appears in the Top 5 companies in IEPF because it has a large number of long-term investors who rarely monitor corporate communications. Many investors also miss dividend credits due to bank account changes, resulting in unclaimed shares and dividends.
4. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)
HUL is one of the most trusted consumer companies in India, but it also appears among the top companies with unclaimed shares. Old shareholders owning physical certificates are the major contributors to IEPF transfers. Corporate actions like bonus issues also go unclaimed due to outdated contact details.
5. Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
L&T has thousands of old investors whose share certificates were never dematerialised. This has caused a high number of unclaimed shares over the years. Many shareholders also missed dividend claims due to bank mergers, account closures, or KYC mismatches.
How to Recover Unclaimed Shares from These Companies?
To reclaim shares transferred to IEPF:
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Search your name on the IEPF website
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Fill Form IEPF-5 online
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Collect required documents like PAN, Aadhaar, CMR, share certificates
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Send documents to the company’s Nodal Officer
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After verification, IEPF credits the shares to your demat account
The process takes 60–120 days.
Conclusion
The Top 5 companies in IEPF reflect how millions of shares remain unclaimed due to avoidable issues. If you or your family ever invested in these companies, now is the right time to check your IEPF status and recover your rightful assets.
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