How Can I find out if my late wife had a life insurance policy?
Hi everyone. My wife passed away unexpectedly about 10 years ago, and I’m hoping someone can help me figure out whether she had a life insurance policy in place.
More than a year before she passed, she signed up for a small policy that I believe was offered through her bank, possibly as an add-on to her checking account. I don’t remember the insurance company or the exact type of coverage.
A few weeks before she died, she asked whether she should keep paying for it. In a tongue-in-cheek moment, I told her not to worry about it because money would be the last thing on my mind if anything happened to her (I was the main bread winner so the financial ramifications were not important to me). I don’t know whether she actually canceled it or kept it.
After she passed, I didn’t look into it. Over the years, though, I’ve wondered whether the policy was still active and whether there might be a benefit that went unclaimed.
I recently found her old bank card, which brought this back to mind. I know which bank she used and still have her checking account information, but I don’t have any insurance paperwork.
Is there a database or policy locator I could use? Would her bank be able to help identify the insurer after this much time? And if a policy was active when she died, could I still submit a claim roughly 10 years later?
It’s a shot in the dark, but I’d appreciate any advice on where to start. Thank you.