Estatesearch Share Search helps identify additional estate assets.
Identifying shares held by a deceased has historically been a notoriously difficult undertaking. Many individuals still hold shares as paper certificates, making it all too easy to lose track of any shares owned and in which companies. This is further compounded where companies may merge or change name over time. Tracing legitimate current holdings is something many families have to face when managing the estate of a loved one.
There are billions of pounds worth of unclaimed assets in the UK. The Dormant Asset Commission report indicated there are £150 billion worth of shares registered and estimated 0.1-0.3% of the shares registered in the name of individual shareholders may be dormant. Taking account of unpaid dividends, the value of dormant shareholdings was estimated to be a staggering £640 million.
Estatesearch aim to simplify the estate administration process with data and technology-led services, and we’re pleased to announce additional Share Data across our range of Financial Profile Service searches to drive better results, ease of use and more comprehensive and efficient access to share holding records.
Working with Equiniti, Computershare and Link Asset Services our financial asset search includes reliable share data across the FTSE 100 and is currently being extended to cover FTSE 350 companies. The latest data has been incorporated to into our Share Search process using a proprietary algorithm developed with our knowledge and experience to deliver best possible results when identifying relevant share holdings.
In a recent Case Study, Estatesearch were instructed to undertake an Asset & Liability Search in relation to a deceased estate. While no shares were identified as being held by the deceased, our unique search algorithm and process identified Natwest shares held by the deceased’s husband. Our administration team quickly identified the husband had pre-deceased his wife and confirmed with the legal professionals involved that the wife had been the sole Executor and beneficiary of her late husband’s estate.
As a result Estatesearch’s Financial Profile Service and Share Search identified shares that otherwise would have gone unidentified for several years, if not indefinitely.
Our Financial Profile Service, including our Share Search offers an unrivalled level of auditable estate due diligence. Offering you a comprehensive search for estate accounts, helping repatriate estate assets and protect against the risk or cost of late assets being discovered.
For help identifying shares in an estate, or more information on any of our services, visit our website www.estatesearch.co.uk, email [email protected] or book a meeting now to have a look at our award-winning Probate Portal.