When A Spouse Dies, How Would I Go About Finding Out About His Life Insurance?
Posted August 12, 2009 – 4:17 pm in: structured settlements FAQMy husband died suddenly and I am sorting thru papers and find no life insurance except thruhis work. How could I make sure I didn’t miss anything? Also, how would Ifindout about credit card companies..if we had coverage in event of death? Thanks.
Tags: About, Dies, Finding, Insurance, Life, Spouse, When, Would
6 Comments
Credit card companies:
You should be able to find something with the telephone numbers of his credit card companies (for example, his credit card bills and credit cards will have the telephone numbers of the companies that issued them).
Other life insurance:
1. The medical information bureau can tell you, for a fee, if the companies to which he applied for life insurance within that last 10(?) years. You can then contact these companies individually to determine which actually issued policies. Note that M.I.B. will not be able to tell you about policies for which he applied before the time period covered by their records.
2. Life insurance premiums are usually paid by check. Look at the canceled checks from the bank and at his check book register. If he was paying money to a life insurance company, then contact that life insurance company.
If he left no will, go to the local court house clerk and petition them to name you the executor over his estate.
By being the legal executor you can ask legal questions and get answers they couldn’t give to you without the papers. Contact any bank or credit union he may have had and ask if he had any accounts there. See if he named you POD. If not use the executor papers. Call any credit card companies you know he used and ask them if he had insurance that paid them off if he died.
Contact his work and speak to his employer they should be able to tell you about any life insurances. If he belonged to a union contact them also.
Well, if you’re asking, is there a database where you can look it up, the answer is no. Best thing, is to sort through those papers, AND, to go through all the cancelled checks for the past year or so. Any policy that’s paid in full (pretty rare), they’d send a statement to the policy owner, presumably your husband, every year.
You’d have to contact the credit card companies directly, when the statements come in. Usually, if it’s a JOINT account, it’s not going to pay off.
Most people (70%) in the US die without active life insurance in place. It’s a blessing for you that he’s got SOME through his work. If you can’t find any hint of it in his will, papers, or cancelled checks, he probably doesn’t have a seperate policy. If he did, it would probably be with the same company where you have yours. IF you have insurance.
First of all, I’m sorry for your unexpected loss.
If he had any other life insurance policies, he should have been receiving some sort of annual statements or at the very least receipts for payments. If you still can’t find anything take a look at the bank statements for any payments made to a life insurance company.
If you’ve sorted thru his “stuff” and have found no insurance policies, then he more than likely has none. I believe the policy has to be presented to an agent as proof of coverage.
As for the credit card companies; Just call them.
His papers would be where you’d find it.