Uncovering Your Brother's Life Insurance: A Step-By-Step Guide

If you want to find out if your brother had life insurance, there are several steps you can take. Firstly, speak with family and close friends who may have information about a potential policy, such as where it may be stored, or the name of the insurance company. Secondly, check your brother's personal records and belongings, including physical and digital documents, bank statements, and tax returns for any clues about a policy. Thirdly, contact your brother's financial advisors, accountants, attorneys, or other professionals who may know about a policy. Fourthly, use a life insurance policy locator service, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) free Life Insurance Policy Locator. Finally, if you know the name of the insurance company, contact them directly to help find the policy.

Check your brother's personal records and belongings

To find out if your brother had life insurance, you can start by checking his personal records and belongings. Here are some detailed steps to guide your search:

Check Physical Documents and Belongings

Start by looking through your brother's documents and personal belongings. You may come across the policy itself or clues that could lead you to it. Look for notifications from insurance companies, premium payment receipts, or policy servicing correspondence. Check filing cabinets, drawers, and safes for any relevant paperwork. If your brother had a safe deposit box, you will likely need a key, a copy of the death certificate, proof of your relationship, and a photo ID to access it.

Review Bank and Financial Statements

Examine your brother's bank statements for any recurring payments or transfers from a life insurance company. These could indicate premium payments or withdrawals from a whole life insurance policy. Also, check for any checks made out to insurance companies.

Monitor Incoming Mail and Email

Keep an eye on your brother's incoming mail and email for a period after his passing. Look for policy premium alerts, dividend notices, policy servicing correspondence, or statements. Life insurance companies may continue to send updates or premium notices, providing insights into existing policies.

Inspect Digital Storage

In addition to physical documents, don't forget to check your brother's digital storage. Review computer files, mobile phones, and email inboxes for any relevant information. Digital storage may contain important documents, correspondence, or notifications related to life insurance.

Browse Address Books and Contact Lists

Your brother's address books and contact lists may offer valuable clues. They could include the contact information of a life insurance company or agent. Be sure to check both physical and digital address books, as well as mobile phone contacts.

Examine Tax Returns

Review your brother's previous income tax returns for any indication of interest income from life insurance policies. Life insurance companies may pay interest on accumulations, which could show up on tax returns.

Contact Relevant Professionals

If you don't find much information through your brother's belongings and records, consider reaching out to any financial professionals he worked with. This includes accountants, attorneys, bankers, or financial advisors. These individuals may have knowledge of a life insurance policy or be able to direct you to relevant resources.

Contact your brother's financial advisors

If you are trying to find out if your brother had life insurance, one of the best ways to do so is by contacting his financial advisors. This could include accountants, attorneys, or other financial professionals. They may be able to provide you with the information you need or, at the very least, point you in the right direction.

If you are unsure of who your brother's financial advisors were, you can try looking for their contact information in his personal belongings, such as in his address book or email contacts. Bank statements or cancelled checks may also be helpful, as they could indicate payments made to financial advisors.

Once you have identified your brother's financial advisors, you can reach out to them to inquire about any life insurance policies he may have had. Keep in mind that privacy laws may restrict the information they can disclose, so be prepared to provide proof of your relationship to your brother and your own identification.

It is also worth noting that financial advisors are not the only professionals who may have information about your brother's life insurance. You can also try contacting his insurance agent, if he had one, or his employer, as many people receive life insurance through their workplace.

Additionally, don't forget to check with other family members and friends, as they may have knowledge of your brother's life insurance policy that you are unaware of. They might have been a beneficiary or had other relevant information that could help you in your search.

Overall, by contacting your brother's financial advisors and other relevant individuals, you can increase your chances of finding out if he had life insurance and taking the necessary steps to access any benefits that may be available to you.

Use a life insurance policy locator

If you are unsure whether your brother had a life insurance policy, you can use a life insurance policy locator. These tools can help you find your deceased loved one's life insurance policies and annuity contracts.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides a free online tool called the Life Insurance Policy Locator. This tool is easy to use and can be accessed by navigating to naic.org, hovering over Consumer, and clicking Life Insurance Policy Locator under Tools. You will need to agree to the terms of use and enter your name, mailing address, and email address. To submit a search request, you will need to enter the deceased's information from their death certificate, including their social security number, veteran status, and your relationship to them.

If a policy is found and you are the beneficiary, the life insurance or annuity company will contact you directly. It is important to note that NAIC does not have any policy or beneficiary information, and you will not be contacted if no policy is found or if you are not the beneficiary.

In addition to NAIC, you can also try using other online tools such as MissingMoney.com or the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). NAUPA has a free tool that allows you to select your state and search for any unclaimed insurance money or property. These tools can be helpful if you are unsure of your brother's insurance provider or if a policy even exists.

Contact the insurance company

If you know the name of the insurance company that issued your brother's policy, you can contact them directly. This will likely require you to submit proof that you are a beneficiary, such as your driver's license or social security number, as well as your brother's death certificate.

If you are unsure of the insurance company, but have the name of the agent who sold the policy, you can reach out to them. They may be able to provide you with the necessary information to contact the insurance company.

It is important to note that you must be an authorized person to access your brother's policy information. In most cases, only the next of kin, estate executors, and policy beneficiaries are granted access to this information.

When contacting the insurance company, be prepared to provide the following information:

• Your brother's full legal name and any former names.
• His social security number.
• Proof of your identity, such as a copy of your government-issued driver's license or passport.
• His last and former addresses, especially for any long-term residences.

If your brother served in the military and you believe he may have had life insurance through the Veterans Administration (VA), having any discharge papers or other records of his service can be helpful.

Once you have contacted the insurance company and provided the necessary information, they will be able to assist you in determining if your brother had a life insurance policy with them and guide you through the next steps in the process.

Contact your state's unclaimed property office

If you are the next of kin of the deceased, you can contact your state's unclaimed property office to find out if your brother had life insurance. This is because, after a certain number of years, if the insurance company holding the unclaimed money cannot find the rightful owner, they are required by law to turn the money over to the state's unclaimed property office.

Each state has a database of unclaimed property, and you can request these funds from the state if you discover unpaid life insurance proceeds. The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) has a website with links to each state's unclaimed property office. Additionally, www.missingmoney.com combines information from most state unclaimed property databases for multi-state searches.

To make an inquiry, you will need to provide the deceased's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and your relationship to them. It is also a good idea to have documents such as their death certificate, your government-issued ID, and any other relevant information about the deceased, such as former names and addresses.

Keep in mind that the process of locating a missing life insurance policy can be challenging, especially if you are still grieving the loss of your brother. It is recommended to speak with your family and close friends, as well as review your brother's documents and correspondence, to gather any information related to a potential life insurance policy.

Frequently asked questions