The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) reminds consumers of a life insurance claims return tool that has found $6,808,924 in life insurance benefits for Tennesseans since January.
The Life Insurance Policy Locator Service, which has been available since 2016, was developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The service enables beneficiaries, executors, or legal representatives of a deceased person to locate life insurance policies and annuity contracts of their late family member, client, or friend.
“Handling the financial affairs of a deceased family member or friend can be overwhelming and emotional,” said TDCI Commissioner and NAIC President Julie Mix McPeak. “The Life Insurance Policy Locator Service helps ease the burden that family members and loved ones face during these tragic times. I am pleased that the service has located over $6.8 million in benefits for Tennesseans so far this year and grateful that the NAIC instituted this process.”
During the nearly eight-month period from January 1, 2018, to August 10, 2018, Tennesseans submitted a total of 514 requests to the Life Insurance Policy Locator Service. Nearly half of those requests (250) were matched to life insurance benefits. Companies reported $6,808,924 in benefits being located for Tennesseans. By comparison, Tennessee had a total of 206 requests for lost policy searches in all of 2017 and $2,868,762.94 was recovered in life insurance benefits.
The service does not track beneficiary information or claim payment after matches are reported so there is no way to determine the amount actually returned to consumers. The total claim amount only includes the amount reported by companies tied to a match.
If you are looking for a loved one’s lost policy, TDCI recommends you start by looking through papers or financial records to see if you can find where payments have been made to an insurance company. If any of the documents reference payments made to an insurance company, you can call them directly to see if a policy can be located.
You can also complete NAIC’s online Life Insurance Policy Locator Service request form. Once the request is complete, NAIC will send the policyholder’s information to all licensed life insurance companies in Tennessee. Then, companies will check their records to determine if they have a policy matching the beneficiary’s information. The company will respond within 60 days if a match is found.
For more information on the Lost Policy Service and other consumer insurance resources, visit tn.gov/insurance or contact the TDCI Consumer Insurance Service Division at 1-800-342-4029 or (615) 741-2218.
