Lost Policy Details !

insideinfo

Hi

I had a Pension Policy with Norwich Union and paid in the maximum contributions for 10 years in a fairly highly paid job. Things happened and after an acrimonious divorce I left and moved 200 miles away.

I had three years off and have now had a non contributory pension again with NU and have been in my current job for three years. I have searched for the lost policy with NU which they said could take 6 weeks. That drew a blank. So I asked the NU rep that administers the current policy to merge the funds. He came back with the same reply. There is no policy!

Should I have to resort to a Data Subject AccessRequest to find what is rightfully mine. I am not well (though working) and I need to put my affairs in order.

What can I do?

Where can I get this information ?

Incidentally I worked as a contractor for NU for a year during the three year gap. I know they are screwed as my job was outsourcing work to India, mainly Pune and Mumbai. I do not wish to leave my affairs in the mess that they are. Any ideas would be helpfull. My previous employers hated me when I left. Coud I do a DSAR on them as it was taken out of my salary. Please let me know if you can help. I have no policy documents or details, they are all lost! Thanks for your time.:mad::mad:

dunstonh

Was it a personal pensions or a money purchase occupational scheme? If the latter, then the scheme administrators do all the paperwork, not NU, in most cases.

Have you supplied your previous addresses, date of birth and NI numbers? (all of which can be searched on or help filter a search)

Which NU company did you set it up with?

Should I have to resort to a Data Subject AccessRequest to find what is rightfully mine.

If they cant find you on an enquriry then a DSAR isnt going to help.

jh2009

A few thoughts, some may be helpful, some not.......

1. Did Norwich Union actually manage this Scheme when you contributed, or if they did do they still manage it?

2. Also as they administer your current scheme, are you confusing them as also holding your previous policy and your old scheme was managed by someone else ? (eg standard life, prudential, etc).

3. Did the previous policy get transferred into your new one with Norwich Union and so a seperate policy doesnt now exist?

Do you have any memory of moving the policy elsewhere?

4. Your pension may have been in an occupational company scheme, with investments managed by Norwich Union. That company could in the time you have left have since moved their business to another provider, moving your account with them. In such a process they should write to confirm this but if you have moved and they had no contact address then this means this could have happened without your knowledge.

I would suggest you try the pensions tracing service.

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/atoz/atozdetailed/pensiontracing.asp

This is a free service, so nothing to lose, and is totally independent of your old company, and if you simply give them the name of your old employer (even if they no longer exist or have changed names, moved, etc) this may help you.

If they are successful they will give you the name and contact details of the current administrator. You can then contact them to see if they hold any benefits.

5. IF you are unsuccessful and cannot locate this, but a policy is out there, then your NI Number should be on file with whoever holds this. When you get near retirement date (probably 65) they do have a way of tracing scheme members who may have disappeared using your NI Number and through the Dept of work and pensions, so one day you may be traced and contacted.

6. You have mentioned an acrimonious divorce and moving. If your ex wife/husband is still living at the old address, it may be a long shot but if you are in contact do they still get your pension info through the post (even if its binned?).

7. Generally pension schemes have computerised records, so in the timescales you have quoted there should be a record (even if they no longer hold the policy). Problems can occur where records are linked to the 1950/60s/etc when records were not computerised.