Finding a life insurance policy on a deceased loved one w/o knowing what life insurance company insured them

[devonboy]

My Husbands Mom recently passed around Thanksgiving last year. His Dad died a year before that around the same time.

We are in the process of dealing with her estate. Selling the home, etc. When she died me & my husband were told by my sister in law she had a life insurance policy. I never asked what life insurance company so I do not know what company.

Now my sister in law is saying there is NO life insurance policy. There have been many things that came up that I am now suspicious & she could be lying.

How can I find there life insurance policy if any policy was made? Could I also tell if there was a check issued & if it was cashed or uncashed?

 

[tamaraz]

@devonboy There a national website you can go to look up if people have life insurance. If a check was given out and cashed then the person who got the check was supposed to get it. They aren’t going to tell you if the claim was already filed let alone who cashed it or even if it was cashed.

 

[devonboy]

@tamaraz I agree. no one would tell other members of the family they cashed a life insurance checks

 

[srmartin15]

@tamaraz Can you please tell me what that website is to find out about a life insurance policy

 

[tamaraz]

@srmartin15 https://eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator/#/welcome

 

[qity]

@devonboy Bank records are a good start (assuming she was still required to pay premiums).

Are you and your husband executors of the estate or is it your SIL? If it's the latter, you probably have very little control (getting bank records, an old copy of the policy, etc.), especially since life insurance typically passes outside the estate/probate and directly to the beneficiaries.

As the other poster mentioned, you can also try the NAIC's database here: https://eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator/#/welcome

Good luck!

 

[devonboy]

@qity yes SIL is executor. My husband called her last week to ask for bank records. She said she could give him the last few months.

It’s in probate court currently but we haven’t closed the case. I believe is executor is responsible to be payee & live out the deceaseds wishes.

Edit: Thanks for the website! this is exactly what i was looking for.

p.s. I did find a life insurance policy. Mom was paid when dad died. But SIL was added on to moms bank account to help pay bills.

Also I am suspicious because before mom died she was very upset with SIL. saying someone is taking my money & she was missing 50k out of her bank account. I believe bank statements will prove what happened to her accounts when SIL was added on.

 

[qity]

@devonboy

It’s in probate court currently but we haven’t closed the case. I believe is executor is responsible to be payee & live out the deceaseds wishes.

As I mentioned before, life insurance doesn't (normally) pass through probate. It would go directly to the beneficiary, tax-free. If the policy was more than a few years old, the beneficiary could have their check for the death benefit proceeds in days (or weeks, but it's typically very fast).

It supersedes a will (unless the beneficiary of the policy is the deceased's estate), as do other beneficiary designated assets (like transfer on death accounts, retirement accounts, trusts, etc.).

The deceased's wishes need to be taken into account when naming beneficiaries to these things, not by the executor because technically, they don't have any control of the dispersing of those assets (unless again, the estate is the beneficiary of those assets).

 

[devonboy]

@qity Thankyou for explaining this information.

I do believe we will find the information we need once we see the bank accounts.

 

[jeshurun1111]

@devonboy Oh shit, the plot thickens. Keep us posted!

 

[612to907]

@devonboy The insurance company would only pay out to who ever the beneficiaries are or the estate. Look at bank statements or find old records.

 

[heatherfeather]

@devonboy Go to the NAIC website

 

[dinkold]

@devonboy Claims are interesting. First they are paid direct to the listed beneficiary if any, not to the estate. So they bypass any probate process. The life insurance company will not pay one bene without paying all benes at the same time. So if there was a policy and it paid the sole bene was SIL unless your husband is scheming with her. If there was undo influence on your Mom before she died there will be little you can discover as you have no standing without being an owner or bene.

 

[tabinek]

@devonboy MIB.com has a paid service similar to a the NAIC service. It’s probably better.

Chances are you mom had coverage the same company your dad did if you know that company.

Bank statements will help with identifying where she was making premium payments.