How do you find out if someone had a life insurance policy before they died?

The first place to check for a life insurance policy is in the personal effects of the deceased. Check the home safe, safe deposit boxes or wherever the person might have kept important papers and other valuables. Even if you do not think a person had a life insurance policy, it is a good idea to check their bank records and safe deposit boxes to be sure. It is possible that a policy has been in effect for many years, and the deceased had forgotten to mention it.

Bank records are a good method of locating regular payments made on a life insurance policy. They may also reveal which insurance companies the deceased dealt with for other policies, and offer you a source of contact for inquiring about life insurance policies. In many cases, people take advantage of the outstanding service offered on type of insurance policy and take out other types of policy with the same company. Once you have located the deceased insurance company, speak with a company representative and explain to them that you are trying to locate any policies that may have been in effect.

Finally, you can watch the mail. When premiums for insurance come due, the insurance company will mail out a notice to the deceased. After multiple cycles of inactivity, the insurance company is alerted to the possibility of a claim coming due for settlement and begins an investigation of their own. If you have had trouble locating a life insurance policy, it may be that the insurance company will come looking for you when it becomes aware of the situation.