How can I look up insurance policies?

Question

My Mother has pased on and we know there were several whole life policies.
The max premium was paid up over fifteen years ago and the actual policy and numbers could not be found.

Answer 1

Bummer.

There no central database where you can look it up. Your state insurance department doesn't keep track of that, either. You'll need to become executor of her estate, and go to her bank, try to see if there's a safety deposit box. Get all her old cancelled checks from over 15 years ago. Go through every blessed paper you can find. Talk to her attorney (the guy that did her will), her banker, her insurance agent, her accountant for clues.

You have to find the paper trail at YOUR end, then track it down from there.

It's ALSO highly possible that policies she thought were "paid up" 15 years ago, weren't actually paid up policies, and just being paid out of cash value . . . and if that's the case, they're likely cancelled now.

Answer 2

Check with all of her advisors (accountant, insurance people, banker, stock broker, etc). I was handed a stack of "paid-up" life policies a few months ago. Two were not really paid-up and lapsed, the other two were indemnity policies that paid cash to the owner if the insured hadn't died yet (a form of forced savings) and the other one was still active at the time of death - with a face amount of $2000.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I'm sorry for your loss. My stepfather just passed away but he left a detailed list of all insurance policies, who the beneficiarys were and contact names and numbers at the insurance companies so it was easy for my mother in her time of grief. Having gone through his papers, it was clear that the insurance companies were mailing him information at least once per year for tax purposes so I would recommend looking in your mother's tax files or contacting whoever prepared her taxes for her. Each insurance company will require a copy of the Death certificate to make payment on the policies. Hope this is of some help.

Answer 4

Do you know the name of the Insurance Co? If so, just go in one of their offices in person with the death certificate and have them look it up on the computer. If you don't know the company contact the Dept. of Ins. in your state and tell them your problem. They are very big on helping people when it come to Life. Insurance. I was an agent a long time and now retired. Good luck.

Answer 5

go to www.mib.com, click on consumer link and follow to details on how to find a lost policy.

You can also look through her old bank statements etc.. to see if she received any money from an insurance company over time, and maybe track it that way