Life insurance of deceased - we - dont know help needed

ardmore12

Hi I have been appointed as a executor and my old aunt was very confused at the end of her life -A will was drafted but not signed !!

I cant find any paperwork what so ever about life insurance but I have been verbally told that she did have some I don't have any statements paperwork or anything to go on ?

Who can I contact to find out if indeed she had something .I am only interested in for-filling my role to ensure that the family gets what the could be entitled too

Any advice would be great

Thanks everyone e

Roy

tacpot12

As she has died intestate, you are not an executor, you are an administrator and the estate will have to be distributed according to the rules of intestacy. You can use the tool here to determine should inherit the estate: https://www.gov.uk/inherits-someone-dies-without-will

If the beneficiary agrees, then a deed of variation can allow someone else to inherit some or all of the estate. This could be useful from a inheritance tax perspective.

This doesn't help find any insurance policy though. If your Aunt was still paying for the insurance, there will be a direct debit on her bank account, so look at her bank statements. This technique might be useful in winding up other aspects of her affairs. If the policy was paid up, then the only way, other than to write to each and every insurance company, is to search your Aunt's property for any letters or paperwork that might mention the name of a life insurance company, then write to them. They are likely to want copies of the letter of administration.

Good luck in your hunt.

Keep_pedalling

As above the will is invalid, so you must apply for letters of administration and stick strictly to the intestacy rules.

As for lost insurence policies, savings and bank accounts hopefully the following link should be helpful.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/debt-savings/how-to-trace-lost-money/

Brynsam

How about https://www.uar.co.uk/Solicitor/Home (which specifically says it is for 'solicitors and executors’ but administrators are in a similar boat). Also worth a look: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/reclaim-lost-assets-free/

Savvy_Sue

One word of caution: was this will that hasn't been signed her first ever will? If it was, she did indeed die intestate, without a valid will.

BUT if this was intended to replace an earlier will, then that will stands, and must be executed. And you may not be the executor on that will.

It may still be possible to do what she'd put in the later will, through a deed of variation as outlined above, BUT you need to be clear. Again, a thorough search of her paperwork is the place to start, and if she used a solicitor for the unsigned will, ask them if they know whether it was her first will or not. I'd have expected that information to be sought in the process of drawing up a new will.