by JAS » Sat Apr 14, 2007 05:32 pm
I hope that someone might have some advice or information that would be helpful to my situation.
My mother recently died and I'm positive that she once told me that she had life insurance policies for myself and my sister. I'm in a bit of a situation because I moved to her city to help take care of her and do some work for her about a year ago and her death was unexpected, so I am in dire financial straights. I'm just trying to survive and hoping that she had something set aside for me, that's all. Having been in the middle of it all as illness worsened, I seem to have become a target for everyone's anxiety and grief and I'm now sort of on the outs with the rest of the family. I had an unfortunate disagreement with them where I thought that she would be better cared for and more comfortable in the hospital at the last stage of her illness.
Are there decent odds that the insurance company will contact me if I'm a beneficiary?
If no one informs me about an insurance policy, how should I proceed?
Is there a way to locate this policy (if it exists) on my own?
Is there any way that her husband could keep me from receiving it or knowing about it?
My mother recently died and I'm positive that she once told me that she had life insurance policies for myself and my sister. I'm in a bit of a situation because I moved to her city to help take care of her and do some work for her about a year ago and her death was unexpected, so I am in dire financial straights. I'm just trying to survive and hoping that she had something set aside for me, that's all. Having been in the middle of it all as illness worsened, I seem to have become a target for everyone's anxiety and grief and I'm now sort of on the outs with the rest of the family. I had an unfortunate disagreement with them where I thought that she would be better cared for and more comfortable in the hospital at the last stage of her illness.
Are there decent odds that the insurance company will contact me if I'm a beneficiary?
If no one informs me about an insurance policy, how should I proceed?
Is there a way to locate this policy (if it exists) on my own?
Is there any way that her husband could keep me from receiving it or knowing about it?
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 04:31 am Post Subject:
I realize my initial post was probably too personal and it might make me sound horrible. Or maybe it just sounds a little off, like I'm a ghoulish prospector or something. I'm a little stressed out and scared, living in a city that I barely know where I don't know anyone since my mother's passing. And I'm afraid that her husband, the executor, will do something horrible like tell the insurance company I moved to Zimbabwe, just for spite, and they'll never be able to get in touch with me. These are the kind of people I'm dealing with.
I remember a conversation we had where my mother talked about life insurance, I even remember the restaurant we were in when we had it. So I'm almost positive that there's something there but I'm still afraid that I'm stuck here now and wondering how I will find it, or if it will find me.
I did have a follow-up question, and maybe someone could answer:
If I were to start calling insurance companies that I think might have it, or even start going down a list, and asked them if they could check to see if they were holding a policy for my mother would they give me any information?
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:05 pm Post Subject:
Tricky situation indeed.
Are there decent odds that the insurance company will contact me if I'm a beneficiary?
I dont see any reasons as to why the Insurance company would not want to contact you if you are a beneficiary.
If no one informs me about an insurance policy, how should I proceed?
Did your mother not tell you the name of the company. I mean, try and remember, did your mother not mention the name of the company even once. If the answer is "no" then what I can suggest you is that try and contact some of your close relatives with whom your mother had good contacts. May be you just might get the name from someone.
Is there a way to locate this policy (if it exists) on my own?
Try and search through your mother's personal documents, you might get some paperwork relating to the policy which might give you a lead.
Hope i was of some help to you.
Mandy
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 07:28 pm Post Subject: Beneficiary and Estate Executor
I'm sorry to hear of your situation, and I can absolutely understand the stress you're under. I hope things improve.
Just a little more info on your situation that I hope will help. Normally, the executor of the estate is simply there to make sure that the codicils and conditions of the will are met and the assets of the estate are distributed according to state law and the will instrument itself. The executor of the estate will typically have no authority to change any status of any life insurance policy beneficiary designation.
Good luck finding out if there is an insurance policy out there. Unfortunately, I know of no centralized database that keeps track of this information.
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 09:50 pm Post Subject:
The only thing I can think of, and I'm not 100% on this, but when someone passes away, and their is an heir that cannot be found after a lengthy search, isn't that money placed with the state? There are websites by state, if you google, ''unclaimed money'' you will be able to look for your state, or 'your state' then unclaimed money, only problem is this more than likely would be a year or more down the road after all attempts to locate the beneficiary have been exausted.
I just found this site, see if it won't lead you to some solutions, it may take
some time before you could find it, but if you are indeed named bene. then your stepfather cannot claim this unless he proves you have died as well !!
'http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourLife/HowToFindLostLifeInsurancePolicies.aspx'
it chronicles ways to find out if you are indeed a beneficiary on a 'lost policy', it's not much but might have some links to help you......
Good luck and so sorry you lost your mama......
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 01:43 am Post Subject:
Hi!
Lori- great info! As my son used to say..."true 'dat." Many states are now allowing life insurance carriers to place these funds within a trust environment held by the state. Not all states allow this--it takes action by an individual state legislature to allow certain funds to be held for this purpose.
Typically, the funds that are found in these registries are tax refunds, bank safety-deposit box contents, bank and fiduciary accounts, and other situations along these lines.
It's normal for a carrier to attempt to search out beneficiaries for roughly 8-12 months, but keep in mind that they can only do so much. If they have no idea where the benny may have gone...where they live, name changes, is the benny alive or dead, etc., it brings up a difficult issue. Don't think that life insurers DON'T want to pay claims...they actually do! I know that's scary, but it's true.
What's unfortunate is that there is no central registry that holds this info...maybe a good business start-up idea? That is, if you can get around all of the privacy laws (HIPAA, Graham-Leach-Bliley, state restrictions and more)! Good luck on this!
InsTeacher 8)
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 09:08 pm Post Subject: will
how can i find out what insurance company my mother had
Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 04:08 am Post Subject:
Are there decent odds that the insurance company will contact me if I'm a beneficiary?
They might if they are informed by someone about the death of the policy holder, but unless they are informed they wouldn't.
I suppose you have no idea about the name of the company. Is there anyone in the family who can help you in finding out about it?
Regarding your stepfather depriving you from receiving the benefits, the other posters are right; he can't actually do that.
Who is the executor of her 'will' by the way?
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