Struggling to find friends lost pensions

KenWDen

Initially tried tried using AJ Bell who offer such a free service hoping you will take out a SIPP account with them. Went through discussion with my friend, a very busy man starts at 6:30am!

Came up with a list of past employers with addresses etc and sent to AJ Bell, who decided they wanted to deal with him direct, but he's busy and he'll bring the info to me anyway! AJ Bell did NOTHING, and my friend was disheartened - it took effort from me to get him to try and find these missing pensions, and offered to do it myself for him. Contacted past employers with letters of authority, some emailed me, some emailed him. Hence contacted each pension provider - 5 from Aviva provided new letters of authority as required including Standard Life as some needed odd details. Standard Life have decided they won't supply any data either to my friend or myself as I'm not FCA registered, always claimed to be a friend. Not having moved he's had no annual statements is this legal? Now managed to put 8 policy numbers together, but got zero info, promises from all yes including Standard Life. Really need dates of contribution to see if any more by jogging friends memory if any significant gaps. Option one is just to move all 8 defined contribution pensions to his own SIPP, which he insists will NOT be one of AJ Bell's!

Disadvantage is these providers will close accounts and info on dates would be lost and erased. Now we've complained to FCA because it can't be right that Standard Life won't provide data to even the pension policy holder but only to someone registered with the FCA!

GrumpyDil

Your friend could wait until the launch of the pensions dashboard supposedly late this year which will make it easier to track down missing pensions.

As regards providing information the providers will normally provide information to the policy holder (your friend) but will probably treat a request from a third party as needing to be to an authorised adviser.

DRS1

Companies like Aviva will have online portals (like MyAviva) for which you (well your friend) can register and they should have details of his policies with that company. The portal will at least give information on what the policy value is. It may have details of contributions (or at least the last contribution) and how it is invested. I am not sure what sort of security these things have so it may be that you would not be able to log in without having your friend's mobile handy.

Some pensions do indeed provide annual statements but it does depend on what sort of pension he had. DB pensions which you have left don't provide annual statements the way a personal pension scheme would.

dunstonh

Came up with a list of past employers with addresses etc and sent to AJ Bell, who decided they wanted to deal with him direct, but he's busy and he'll bring the info to me anyway! AJ Bell did NOTHING, and my friend was disheartened

Due to pension scams over the last couple of decades, providers are often unwilling to deal with unregulated third parties seeking pension information. That is how most of the scams originated.

Standard Life have decided they won't supply any data either to my friend or myself as I'm not FCA registered, always claimed to be a friend. 

Letters of authority are a method used by FAs and IFAs to obtain policy details on behalf of the policyholder. The providers check the FCA numbers and authorisation status of those submitting letters of authority. So Standard Life are correct in rejecting the letter of authority that you submitted.

If they weren't referred to as letters of authority, the provider's response might have been different.

Not having moved he's had no annual statements is this legal?

There's no law in not having received an annual statement. The requirement is on one being issued. That can be online and not in the post for example.

If these are ex-workplace pensions that were set up by the employer's payroll team then it is not uncommon for errors to occur in the policyholder's name, NI number, date of birth, or address. Often, the employer sets them up with very limited details and then asks the employee to provide it to the pension provider. As you can imagine, that doesn't always happen. When a third party requests information and some of that information is missing, they often want the policyholder (the person who claims the policy is theirs) to be the one contacting them and providing the requested information. Even regulated advisers hit that wall sometimes.

Now we've complained to FCA because it can't be right that Standard Life won't provide data to even the pension policy holder but only to someone registered with the FCA!

The FCA does not handle consumer complaints. That is not their remit. They will just forward it to Standard Life and ask Standard Life to deal with it under their complaints process.

Rather than wasting your time on the complaint, it may be better to address it without using methods or terminology aimed at regulated individuals. For example, why don't you just generate the letters on behalf of your friend as if he is sending them in? Your name wouldn't need to be anywhere then.

poseidon1

Aviva purport to have a lost pension tracing service , as of October 2025 supposedly traced £565 million in lost pensions -

https://www.aviva.co.uk/retirement/pensions/find-and-combine/

cloud_dog

@KenWDen I'm really at a loss as to why you are so disparaging of AJB. Yes, they didn't do what you wanted, but they have a legal framework they must work within, and I wouldn't want a provider distributing any of my pension related information to a 3rd party.

If your friend is so busy and cannot understand the implications of their inactions then they will reap what they sow, so to speak. It probably wouldn't take an hour of their time to undertake what is required, e.g. you draft what is required and they just send / submit it.

Cisco001

What time your friend finished work? Or find a weekend meet together to sort it out?

It probably be easier you both sit together and get the online platform register such that he can view it.

Then the next step probably consider merging the pension pot. Read the policy and make sure he understand the implication before doing so.