Property type
Life insurance and insurance refunds
Policy proceeds, matured policies, premium refunds — how they become unclaimed and how to find them.
Life insurance proceeds go unclaimed when beneficiaries don't know a policy exists, or when the insurer cannot locate them. Insurers also report smaller items: refunds of overpaid premiums, dividends on participating policies, and claim checks that were never cashed.
For families after a death
- Search the state programs for the person who died, using every name and every state where they lived.
- Search for yourself too — insurers sometimes report under the beneficiary's name.
- Look through bank statements for regular premium payments; they identify the insurer.
Unclaimed insurance money held by a state is claimed like any other property: the heir or beneficiary files with the state and proves their right to it. See our heirs and estates guide.