Worked at Kleinwort Benson in London? Your pension probably still exists. The name on your payslip may not.

If you worked in London for Kleinwort Benson, this page is for you. The merchant bank had passed to Dresdner Bank by July 1995, and Dresdner Bank itself was sold in 2009.

What happened

A debate in the House of Lords on 21 July 1995 recorded Kleinwort Benson and Warburgs as passing to foreign buyers, Dresdner Bank and Swiss Bank Corporation (Source: Hansard, House of Lords, Banking Supervision, 21 July 1995, read 27 October 2026). Companies House lists the name Kleinwort Benson Limited for the merchant bank company from 27 June 1986 to 30 April 2001 (Source: Companies House, the company's list of previous names, read 27 October 2026). Allianz records that it sold Dresdner Bank to Commerzbank on 12 January 2009 (Source: Allianz SE annual report on Form 20-F for 2008, SEC, read 27 October 2026).

Why the trail is hard

The Kleinwort Benson name was carried by the merchant bank, and the bank that bought it was itself sold. We have not read a primary source for the date Dresdner completed its purchase, so we give none.

Which era were you in?

The employer's name and owner changed over the years, so the first question is which one you worked for. This holds for the dates in the left column.

Which pension arrangement applied to you depends on the company that employed you in those years and on your own terms. This page does not name a scheme or say who holds one today. A name that is right for the bank today may not have been right for your years, so we do not guess. Your report names it.

Not sure which row fits? Start the free check and tell us when you worked at Kleinwort Benson.

Do I have a pension from my Kleinwort Benson years?

It depends first on when you left. The law set a minimum, and a scheme could always be more generous than the law.

If you left after 6 April 1988 with 2 years or more of service, you very likely have a preserved pension, if you were in the scheme.

Sources: the age 26 and 5 year rule, Social Security Act 1973, Schedule 16, paragraph 6(1), read 20 October 2026, in force from 6 April 1975 (Social Security Act 1973 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1973, read 20 October 2026). The age condition ended on 1 January 1986 (Social Security Act 1985, section 1, read 20 October 2026, and Social Security Act 1985 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1985, read 20 October 2026). Five years became two with effect from 6 April 1988 (Social Security Act 1973, Schedule 16 as amended, note on the Social Security Act 1986, section 10, read 20 October 2026). Two years today, and 30 days for money purchase service that began on or after 1 October 2015 (Pension Schemes Act 1993, section 71, read 20 October 2026).

The free official route comes first

The UK government's free Pension Tracing Service gives you contact details for a workplace pension scheme from the name of an employer. It has a limit, in its own words: "This service will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is." (Source: GOV.UK, Find pension contact details, read 20 October 2026.)

With an old City bank, the name is the hard part. The name on your payslip is rarely the name on the record today, and a search for the wrong name finds the wrong scheme or nothing you recognise.

Former colleagues

We have not yet checked for alumni groups or reunions for Kleinwort Benson, so we list none. If you know of one, the notice board below is coming for exactly this.

Frequently asked questions

I worked in Kleinwort Benson's private bank. Is that this page? It can be. The private bank had a different route from the investment bank, and we have not read a source for it. Tell us your team and your years when you order.

Is Dresdner Kleinwort the same as Kleinwort Benson? Dresdner Kleinwort is a later name for the investment bank after Dresdner Bank bought Kleinwort Benson. Which record is yours depends on your years.

Do you contact the pension scheme for me? No. We identify who holds the pension and give you what to send. You contact them yourself, and the pension stays yours throughout.

Is the government tracing service not enough? It is the right first step, and it costs nothing. It gives a contact for a scheme name you already have. It will not tell you whether you have a pension, and with Kleinwort Benson the name you remember is not the name on the record today.

What if you find nothing? We say so in the report. The refund promise sits next to the order button above.

More of the City's vanished banks: Morgan Grenfell, Barings, S.G. Warburg, and the A to Z of old names.