If you cannot find a life insurance policy, there may be one last place to look.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has a tool to search for lost and unknown life insurance policies of deceased persons.  The Life Insurance Policy Locator Service can submit a search request for life insurance policies and annuity contracts.  However, the search requestor must be an heir, named beneficiary or authorized person.  Moreover, the Life Insurance Policy Locator Service is not for searching life insurance policies of living persons.  The NAIC developed this program to facilitate a search for life insurance policies within participating insurance companies.   The online tool consists of a simple form, requiring information of the requestor and the decedent.  Generally, it can take several months to find life insurance policies according to the website.

After the NAIC collects the necessary information, the information is provided to the participating insurance companies.  The search request requires requestors to agree to a “Statement of Understanding and Agreement to the Process Stated.”  According to the FAQs, insurance companies will contact you only if 1. They can match the information to a policy or contract and 2. you have authority to receive the information.  To verify the authority of the individual making the request, insurance companies may require documentation.  They may also require a death certificate.

The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator is HERE.

Who is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners?

The NAIC is an association of  insurance regulators who set standards and according to their website, “ensure fair, competitive, and healthy insurance markets to protect consumers.”  Founded in 1871, the organization is governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five United States territories to “coordinate regulation of multistate insurers.” The NAIC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.