How to Collect on Missing Life Insurance Policies

If you cannot prove that a life insurance policy is in existence, then you may have trouble making the insurance companies pay up. Even worse, you may have no idea what company to even contact about the policy!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Access to bank information and mail of the deceased

Collecting on Missing Life Insruance

1. Look for the policy itself, or information on the policy. You may get lucky and find a canceled check or bank record with the name of the insurance company.

2. Contact several of the larger insurance companies in your area to find out if your loved one had a policy with them.

3. Watch the mail of the deceased for warnings from an insurance company that payments have lapsed.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact previous employers of your loved one to find out if he or she bought life insurance through the company.
• No matter how long ago your loved one died, if you find a policy that was not collected, you are entitled to collect it and the insurance company will pay up.
• Don’t make the same mistake—your beneficiaries should know exactly where to find your policy information and how to contact your insurance company in case of your death.