GUIDE
How Long Do Banks Keep Statements?
Bank statement retention periods vary by country and by bank. Here’s a clear overview of what you can normally expect.
United Kingdom
- Most banks provide at least 5–7 years of statements through online banking
- Some banks can retrieve older statements for a fee
- Legal requirements generally expect records to be kept for a minimum of 5 years
United States
- Many major banks offer 5–7 years digitally
- Some institutions keep records longer
- Requests for very old statements may involve a fee and longer processing time
What If You Need Older Statements?
If the bank can no longer provide the statements, or the account was closed many years ago, official copies may be impossible to obtain. In these cases people sometimes use accurately formatted documents for personal record-keeping or production purposes only.
Any such documents are not official bank records and must not be presented as such.