LONDON—In an inspiring display of bureaucratic heroism, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) has pledged to begin the Herculean task of contacting bereaved families owed £367 million in forgotten savings, after a minor hiccup lasting several decades in which the nation’s life savings were quietly misplaced in the back office of a Swindon branch.

“This issue should never have happened, and by ‘never’ I of course mean twice a century at most,” said interim CEO Celia Whimblethorpe, speaking from her office which still features the commemorative plaque from the last Scandal Resolution Taskforce (Est. 1983). “We plan to process claims just as soon as we can locate our password spreadsheet and someone who still understands what a paper ledger is.”

While most banks prefer to return money to the living, NS&I is bravely pushing boundaries. “It’s a heart-warming reversal of the old adage, ‘You can’t take it with you,’” said financial ethicist Reginald Grubb. “In this case, you can’t take it with you, but NS&I might keep it for you for several generations.”

Nancy Beddows, spokesperson for the Association of Inherited Untraceable Wealth, praised the effort: “Our members look forward to their own great-grandchildren potentially hearing from NS&I in 2074, assuming the computers haven’t achieved sentience by then.”

NS&I has urged patience, noting they will use a sophisticated tracing algorithm known in the industry as “sending letters to last known address and hoping for the best.”