Man finds a "Credit Union 8 Yuan Equity Certificate" from 39 years ago at home. The bank has no record of the equity information. Man: Keep it as a souvenir.

Recently, a netizen from Nanjiang County, Bazhong City posted information on an internet social platform, claiming to have found a “Nanjiang Credit Cooperative Member Certificate” (hereinafter referred to as “Member Certificate”) at home. The video shows a shiny red exterior, while the inner pages have turned yellow and worn, with the stamp and handwriting blurred. Since it involves equity, he wonders: “The 8 yuan stock capital I invested in the credit cooperative in 1987, can it still be redeemed today?”

Screenshot of the video posted by Mr. Yang

On March 26, a reporter from Red Star News contacted Mr. Yang, who posted the video. He explained that he found this “Member Certificate” during the Spring Festival holiday in 2026 when he returned to his hometown. As the name on it is no longer legible, he does not know if it belongs to his father or mother; all he could see was the payment date of January 14, 1987, and the stock capital of 8 yuan, with the information of the handler’s stamp also blurred.

Inner page of the Member Certificate, provided by Mr. Yang

Mr. Yang is puzzled—after nearly 40 years, is this Member Certificate still valid? How much equity is involved? Can it be redeemed without a name? Am I a “second-generation rich”… With many questions in mind, on March 26, a reporter from Red Star News accompanied Mr. Yang to the Nanjiang County Rural Commercial Bank branch (the renamed entity of the Nanjiang Credit Cooperative).

After being warmly received by the bank staff, they checked the system using Mr. Yang’s father’s name, but found no equity information for his father.

Mr. Yang explained that his parents were registered in Guamen Town, Nanjiang County, and his father was a teacher in Guamen Town before he passed away. The bank staff indicated that they could check for relevant information at the Guamen Town branch.

The staff explained that even if equity could be redeemed, it would not be much according to the regulations at that time. If they found any relevant equity information for his parents, they would refund as much as possible according to the rules.

On March 27, Mr. Yang went to the Guamen Town branch of the Nanjiang County Rural Commercial Bank, and after checking, the staff said there was no equity information for Mr. Yang’s parents at that branch.

The staff explained that if there were equity information found, the bank would have to acknowledge it, but there are no equities below 500 yuan now, and equities above 500 yuan need to be redeemed at the Bazhong City Rural Commercial Bank. According to relevant regulations, if equity information is found, “only the 8 yuan principal can be redeemed.”

Why can only the principal be refunded? A staff member from the Nanjiang County Rural Commercial Bank explained that based on the date of 1987 on the “Member Certificate,” 39 years have passed. During these 39 years, the credit cooperative has undergone three reforms, and before each reform, they publicly announced the equity information, redeeming what could be redeemed. Each reform established a new equity structure, and after three reforms, how much equity there is needs to be checked. Currently, there are hardly any equities worth a few yuan. Even if equity is found, based on the equity at that time, the maximum refund would be just over 10 yuan, and they would need to take back the “Member Certificate.”

The staff member noted that there are not only “Member Certificates” from 1987; they have also encountered “Member Certificates” from 1954, all processed according to the regulations of that time, not according to current regulations for past business.

After hearing this, Mr. Yang believes that whether there is equity is no longer important; keeping it as a memento is more meaningful.

Red Star News reporter Zhang Yang

Editor Xu Yuan