How to locate a lost Life Insurance Policy
When a loved one dies, one of the first things you have to do in this painful time, is access their life insurance policy. However, many times policyholders fail to divulge information to their family members as to where their policy has been stored, for various reasons. Searching for a lost policy, especially when a family is in dire financial need, can be quite a draining exercise, more so when you are also trying to come to grips with the loss of a loved one.
How can you make the search for a lost life policy more fruitful, and less stressful? Here are some pointers:
Check the deceased's bank documents:
Checks and credit cards are the most common ways that people in the US pay their life insurance premiums. The first place to check is your loved one's check books and credit card statements (to see if any payments were made to life insurance companies). If this doesn't work, ask the bank for any life insurance-related ECS (electronic clearing service) transfers. Some banks also offer policies at subsidized rates to their customers, so you will need to check with the bank if your loved one's bank account is linked to any of their policies.
Contact the deceased's employer: Many people opt for a group insurance if their employer has the facility. Contact your employer to check if a) your loved one had such an insurance policy, and b) if a component of his deductions was going towards insurance premiums.
Contact the deceased's friends: Because the topic of life insurance can be frightening or uncomfortable for family members, many prefer to discuss and plan their life insurance with close friends rather than with family. Get in touch with your loved one's circle of friends and confidantes, and they may be able to give you a clue.
Address book or phone contacts: If your loved one had insurance, it is very likely that he has kept his agent's contact details handy either in a book, or on his cell phone. Check these sources.
Request access to their email id: If your loved one has searched for his policy online, there might be information in his or her email account. Most email service providers will hand over access to a deceased user's email account, after making sure that you are in fact closely connected, and requesting for an authorized death certificate. However, it may take you as long as 30 days to finally get access to the account. When you do get access, search on key words such as 'life insurance' 'policy number', 'term life insurance quote' or 'affordable life insurance' to locate relevant emails quickly.
Contact online brokerage firms: Since online brokerage firms deal with hundreds of insurance companies, it might be possible that your loved one has purchased insurance through them. Most online agencies offer free