Swiss account details on Internet

Details of bank accounts that have remained dormant in Switzerland since the Holocaust are to be published on the Internet.

The Swiss Bankers Association has agreed to join forces with the Holocaust Educational Trust and accountants Ernst & Young to publish the names of the accounts held by non-Swiss nationals in the country's banks before 1945, which have not been used since.

The aim is to see if relatives of previous account owners can be traced and the money in the accounts claimed.

The HET will conduct searches on behalf of people who do not have access to the Internet via a special telephone helpline.

Account details will go live on 23 July. It will be the first of two parts, the second of which will be published on 20 October. The Internet address that the information will appear on has not yet been finalised.

A helpline, on 0171 222-5115, will be open from 10am to 5pm daily.