Reclaim lost assets for free discussion

Former_MSE_Andrea
Former_MSE_Andrea Posts: 9,614
Combo Breaker First Post I've helped Parliament Rampant Recycler
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This thread is specifically to discuss the content of the

Reclaim Lost Assets For Free guide.

To discuss or ask a question about the article: click reply

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Comments

  • Finishrich
    Finishrich Posts: 1,038
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post PPI Party Pooper
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    Great article, I hope some people manage to find some forgotten fortunes. ;D
  • Nellie
    Nellie Posts: 11 Forumite
    hubbie has being recieving letters from a firm in London called Premier Assest Research Ltd who keep telling him they have discovered an assest which they "understand may be due to you. It is held by Trustees pending your instructions and is valued at approx, £1700"

    They want 20% plus VAT to recover the amount and enclose an agreement plus retainer form to sign.

    Of course hubby has tried getting them to quote a smaller fee with no joy and they won't of course give us any clues.

    We've tried his old pension fund and shares held but can't seem to establish what it is. Also checked his very old premium bonds but as they are registerd at his mums address we ruled that out.

    Any ideas where to go now. Don't have old life policies and any shares we sold a part from certs held for current ones. Can't think of any closed bank accounts or savings.

    At first we thought it might have been a share we lost out on like QXL or something but register doesn't bring anything up.
  • deemy2004
    deemy2004 Posts: 6,201 Forumite
    I would not class them as a scam, but they are probably charging you for something you could do yourself for free.

    Now the investment that they have found 'may' exist or may not exist so your paying a fee to them to search for it.

    Sounds like something off watchdog

    be sceptical, be safe !
  • cefynbach
    cefynbach Posts: 52 Forumite
    I just wanted to add that I was contacted by the Pensions Office when I reached 60 that an insurance company was trying to contact me and I not only recieved a full settlement on a pension from when we had our own business which I had completely forgotten about but also paid out on my late husbands pension as well. So sometimes it comes to you and you just have to give them conformation to get your money :beer:
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
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    If someone who had a breakdown thought they may possibly have invested in a unit trust, but have no memory of it, would there be anyway to find out if investments were in their name somewhere? To complicate the issue the person changed addresses so wouldn't even have any relevant correspondence sent to them.

    Last year she had a bit of a shock when she discovered she had put £10,000 into a fixed term bond a couple of years previously & had no memory of ever doing this.
    The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.

    I should mention that there's only one of me, don't confuse me with others of the same name.
  • ReportInvestor
    ReportInvestor Posts: 3,646 Forumite
    What do people think of Stephen Wynn's idea of giving everyone an identity number to go on each investment to help banks/insurers/govt. track down dormant account holders / investors / pension holders?

    Comparative Tables - Stephen Wynn's site

    Stacks of related info and issues on this IA link

    If your partner dies, don't assume they have told you about all their investments. 60% of us keep some savings secret!
  • cheerfulcat
    cheerfulcat Posts: 3,334
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    What do people think of Stephen Wynn's idea of giving everyone an identity number to go on each investment to help banks/insurers/govt. track down dormant account holders / investors / pension holders?

    It's a frightening idea. It should be up to the individual to keep track of his or her investments, not the government or financial institutions.
  • ReportInvestor
    ReportInvestor Posts: 3,646 Forumite
    I didn't think it would get past civil liberties concerns. And Gordon may secretly prefer us to lose our money so that he can get his paws on it later to give to "charities" that do government work.

    I see that there is a renewed effort by the Mail on Sunday & Frank Field MP to use the money in dormant accounts to compensate the 85,000 victims of company pension scheme collapses.
  • I didn't think it would get past civil liberties concerns.
    I think that too much is made of protecting a civil liberty in name that we gave away a long time ago.

    Think how much information a credit reference agency holds on a particular person. Then couple this with your National Insurance number and you will find that government and other bodies hold a large amount of information about your financial affairs.

    The money laundering regulations / Inland Revenue regulations for opening accounts have increase the accessibility of this information.

    I think it is more likely to increase civil liberty if you consolidate systems, as that way things can be regulated above aboard and in consistent manner c.f. money laundering regulations.
  • EdInvestor
    EdInvestor Posts: 15,749 Forumite
    I think it is more likely to increase civil liberty if you consolidate systems, as that way things can be regulated above aboard and in consistent manner

    IMHO there's a lot to be said for this view. The current arrangement doesn't seem to protect people's privacy or liberty while allowing fraudsters and cheats to take advantage.

    Arguably the worst of both worlds?

    On the other hand, the nanny state shouldn't be encouraged IMHO as it causes a lot of problems in itself, as people think they don't have to take responsibility. It's hard to get a balance: arguably increased regulation in financial services for instance was heavily overdue at the millenium.In that area, people thought there was proper regulation and protection, but there actually wasn't.That truly was the worst of both worlds and many people lost their pensions as a result. :(

    But whether or not we need the increasingly onerous schemes dreamt up by the likes of councils and the ODPM on housing issues particularly is a moot point.There has been a substantial increase in regulation over the past 20 years, and some of it looks to be verging on the excessive, turning into job creation schemes for bureaucrats and others and imposing unnecessary rigidities and costs.
    Trying to keep it simple...;)
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