Life Insurance Claim Articles

How Do You Find Out Whether The Deceased Had Life Insurance?

By Jeffrey L. Greyber, Esq.

When a family member or friend passes away, grief is typically the first thing survivors need to overcome.  And, while grieving, survivors usually also have to try to coordinate funeral logistics, burial arrangements, memorial services, etc.  During these difficult times, one of the last things likely on survivors’ minds is whether the deceased had life insurance.  But, shortly after a passing, this is something I recommend survivors try their best to look into … according to a February 2013 article from Consumer Reports Magazine, “At least $1 billion in benefits from misplaced or forgotten life-insurance policies are waiting to be claimed by their owners.”

            So, you might ask:  how do I find out whether my deceased family member or friend had life insurance?  Well, there is no need for me to reinvent the wheel, the Consumer Reports Magazine article that I mentioned above offers good tips on how to find out whether your deceased family member or friend had life insurance: 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/02/how-to-find-lost-life-insurance-policies/index.htm

            And here is a nice, similar publication from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners:

http://www.naic.org/documents/consumer_alert_locate_lost_life_insurance_benefit.htm

And some life insurance companies now offer “policy finder” services.  Here is an example: 

https://www.metlife.com/policyfinder/index.html

            Although the Merlin Law Group does not specialize in locating life insurance policies, if you are having troubles with same, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will strive to point you in the right direction.  And, of course, if you submit a claim after you find the deceased’s life insurance policy and the carrier gives you problems, we would be glad to assist with that.

Life Insurance Claim Articles