Finders UK Announce Worldwide Bankruptcy Search Service

In the case of intestacy there are many hurdles between starting the search for beneficiaries and final distribution of the estate to the entitled heirs.

One of these is to conduct a Bankruptcy Search on those who are entitled to inherit and now Finders have introduced a Worldwide Bankruptcy Search service.

Professional probate genealogists, like Finders, commonly know as ‘heir hunters’, will have the facilities and experienced staff to deal with any issues that may arise, and offer a range of services like Worldwide Bankruptcy Search which gives assurance to anyone appointing them to trace missing beneficiaries. Finders heir hunters have a network of agents throughout the world and will feature in the new series of the BBC TV daytime show Heir Hunters which starts in 2014. On the show Finders are followed as they unravel intestacies, tracing missing or unknown beneficiaries and reuniting them with their rightful inheritance.

The process starts with the deceased and the search for a will. It is a cause of constant surprise to the heir hunters that so many people do not have a will or that they have a will that is not up to date or, frustratingly for the potential beneficiaries, a will that cannot be found. Even if there is a will there may be named heirs who are unknown to the executors who will engage a probate genealogy company to trace those missing beneficiaries. When there isn’t a will the probate genealogists go into heir hunting mode and invest their own time and expense to find those entitled heirs.

Although tracing the beneficiaries is not necessarily easy, especially when there is an international dimension it is only the start of the process. Their identities have to be checked and proved, an administrator has to be appointed as do solicitors to handle the legal aspects of the application but it doesn’t end there.

Prior to making distribution of estate funds to beneficiaries, it is a requirement to run a bankruptcy search against each individual heir in line to inherit. This again becomes more complex when heirs live abroad or have lived abroad. Finders can conduct these searches in a number of countries and can also undertake bankruptcy searches for UK based beneficiaries.

Assuming everything is in order and the estate is distributed to those rightfully entitled heirs there is one more thing to consider. What if a previously unknown beneficiary emerges who has a claim on the estate? It is the duty of search companies to go to every length to ensure that all those entitled have been traced, but on very rare occasions there may be someone who was completely unknown but who has a claim. This is why Finders carry missing beneficiary insurance another service that benefits heirs as well as both trustees and administrators.

The Worldwide Bankruptcy Search service is another of the many and increasing services Finders offer to both trustees and administrators, services that include, Missing Will Insurance, Dormant and Orphan Funds, Property Transactions-Missing Funds, Missing Will Service, Missing Document Service, Probate Property Sales and Services, Transferable Nil Rate Band Service, Missing Asset Service and many others.

Finders have been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 Total Quality Management certification and are the first probate genealogy firm to achieve the international version of this Standard as devised by the IAB (International Accreditation Board). Finders also provide missing beneficiary insurance, which protects trustees and administrators against the event of an unknown beneficiary emerging after an estate, has been distributed. As agents for Aviva they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

For further information and advice contact Finders, 6-8 Vestry Street, London N1 7RE 020 7490 4935 www.findersuk.com

Our Article Continues - Family Tree Magazine December 2013

Continuing Further questions..

Caroline: How long does it take to trace heirs and what happens if they don’t want to be featured on telly?

John: ‘Depending on the complexity of the case, tracing heirs can be done in a matter of hours thanks to the internet.

‘No one is featured, or even named, in the programme without their consent, and we respect the fact that not everyone wants to be on camera. This means some cases hit the cutting room floor because no heirs wish to be involved, but people are generally open to the idea of taking part in the programme and many are already fans of the series.

‘Any contact from heir hunters is likely to have come as a surprise and I think people usually experience a range of emotions. Most are quite excited to be told they might be in line to inherit some money. But this excitement is always tempered by the news that a relative has died – even if it is a relative they didn’t know they had.

‘In extreme cases where close relatives have become estranged, heir hunters can actually find themselves having to break the news that someone’s sibling, parent or even child has passed away. It’s an extremely difficult part of their job.

‘For many heirs, the news that they’ve been left a legacy by a long-lost relative is the start of a journey that will lead them to discover more about their own family history or the person that has died. We often follow heirs as they go on this journey and it has led to some of the most moving and memorable moments in the series.’

Caroline: Have there been best and worst case study outcomes?

John: ‘Yes, more best than worst. A common and very positive outcome is for families to either reunite or meet each other as a result of being contacted by the heir hunters. A story in the latest series sees two brothers who were both brought up in care meet for the very first time, which is extremely moving.

‘A very sad story, which emphasised the importance of making a valid will, was that of a Hampshire man in 2009. Before he died he had asked his accountant to draw up a will leaving his entire £300,000 estate to his brother-in-law and family to whom he was very close. Sadly it seems the will wasn’t drawn up correctly and was deemed invalid.

‘As his brother-in-law was not a blood relative, neither he nor his family could inherit. The heir hunters were able to find family members who were entitled to the estate, but the people named in the will were left with nothing.’

Daniel Curran, managing director of Finders, explains: ‘Every case is different, although patterns in research develop over the years. To start any case we need to gather all relevant information from wherever we can. This could be making enquiries of the neighbours – Finders has representatives all over the UK that can do this in person if the whole street is ex-directory – or simply ensuring we have properly consulted with our client or the person referring the case to us.

‘Attention to detail at the early stages is paramount as this can save you a great deal of time and effort. In one case we were told that the deceased had a slight Eastern European accent, despite having a generic English name, and this led us to enquiries in Poland. Family tree work is standard is many cases, but we have to remain aware of intestacy rules so as to be sure we have identified the correct heirs.

‘The best solutions are often to find an expert in the relevant county who can assist. We visit the British Library and other main resources in London, which is why you will find that the leading heir hunters are based in the capital.’

The internet is a major resource but Daniel warns: ‘You have to be aware of variations and errors in spelling. There is only so much the internet can help us with and we still go back to original records time and time again to check our facts.

‘Solicitors, if mentioned, may be a point of contact, but if a document mentioning a firm that could provide clues is over seven years old then there is a fair chance the solicitors will have destroyed their records.

‘Once we have identified who we are looking for – remember we often start from nothing more than a name and date of death – we then switch to one or more of the numerous databases and software programs we have bought or subscribe to’. There are cheap and free alternatives, but they may not provide the complete coverage up to the present date, for instance.

If you are a potential beneficiary of an intestate, then the first you’ll probably know about it is when a probate researcher gets in touch, either by phone or in person; beware of anyone that contacts you via unsolicited email. Bona Vacantia itself never sends out unsolicited emails.

To satisfy yourself you are not being ‘scammed’, check out the researcher’s credentials and ensure they have a Missing Beneficiary Indemnity insurance policy. Useful guidelines can be found on The Society of Genealogists’ website at tinyurl.com/pdvmn3f.
 

Steer clear of anyone asking you to pay a fee up front for bona vacantia claims. Genuine firms collect their agreed percentage fee once probate has legally been settled.

Our Story of Heir Hunters Published..

Our Story of Heir Hunters Published at Family Tree Magazine December 2013

Every year, thousands of people die intestate, meaning they haven’t made a will or one cannot be found. In cases where no beneficiaries can be traced within 12 years, the estate passes to the Crown (HM Treasury). In certain cases, claims may be submitted up to 30 years after a death at the discretion of the Treasury Solicitor.

Bona vacantia (Latin for ‘vacant goods’) is the name given to ownerless property (homes, money, possessions and so forth) and every day names are added to the Bona Vacantia list, which is where the Crown’s Treasury Solicitor advertises for kin of deceased intestates in England and Wales to come forward and claim what could be rightfully theirs.

The current list dates from 1997, so this is where you can look to see if you can spot anyone that may be a long-lost relative. And possibly be in line for a claim on their estate.

However, it’s not quite as easy as that. The list – which deals with around 2,000 solvent cases per year – simply provides a forename, surname, place of death and marital status. Sometimes spouse’s names are given (if known), as are alias names and place of birth. It’s up to potential claimants on the estate to prove their relationship with the deceased. Oh, and before you get excited, there’s no clue as to how much the estate is worth, although none less than £500 are advertised.

The key message is, though, if you are in line for a surprise windfall, you could be contacted by an heir hunter.

Behind the camera

Bona vacantia has been in existence since William the Conqueror’s time, but it wasn’t until June 2007 that the general public really became aware of it thanks to the popular BBC TV programme, ‘Heir Hunters’.

Starting its eighth series on BBC1 in early 2014, the programmes follow the exciting warts-and-all progress of probate researchers attempting to find rightful heirs to intestates, before the unclaimed estates are collected by the Treasury.

But how was the idea of ‘Heir Hunters’ conceived? John Widdup, executive producer at Flame TV, the production company behind the programmes, reveals all…

‘We thought the world of probate genealogy made an intriguing proposition for a television series. There was the detective work of tracing missing relatives, the drama of racing against time to visit heirs and the joy of telling people about an unexpected inheritance.

‘It was also clear that the work of the “heir hunters” would provide a unique platform from which to explore a diverse range of social history and tell some fascinating and very moving family stories. After positive discussions with some major probate research firms the series was pitched to the BBC in 2005, and the rest is history.

‘The phrase “heir hunters” is now widely used to describe those in the industry – although many still prefer the term probate researcher or forensic genealogist.’

Caroline: Where do you start when making the programmes?

John: ‘We work with several major probate research firms and once we go into production we begin discussing potential stories for the series. Some may be cases they are currently investigating, while others will be cases from the archives that have already been solved.

‘A series of 20 episodes takes around six months to produce and is generally broadcast within a few months of completion.

‘We have a core production team of around 20 people, including a series producer and production manager, researchers, editors and edit producers who write the narration. Our producer/directors are also skilled camera operators and they shoot the programme themselves using small, high-definition cameras. By keeping the kit and crew to a minimum we’re able to be as unobtrusive as possible, which is especially important when shooting in a busy working environment.’

Caroline: Who looks for heirs and why?

John: ‘Probate research companies specialise in tracing missing beneficiaries to estates of people who have died intestate and who had no known relatives. Many of these cases are advertised by the Bona Vacantia division of the Treasury Solicitor’s office and heir hunting firms will try to trace living relatives who are entitled to a share of the estate and help them claim their inheritance.

‘Most firms work on commission and agree a fee with each heir they find, which is usually a percentage of the inheritance. But because estate values range from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds, and because the heir hunters often don’t know the true value of an estate, their work can be a huge gamble. They might put hours of costly research into tracing scores of family members only to learn that the case is worth very little and their percentage fee won’t cover the cost of their work. ‘There is also a huge amount of work that goes on once heirs have been found, and it is often months – or even years – before an estate can be fully distributed.

‘Other sources of work for the heir hunters can include solicitors who may find that they are in contact with some but not all of the relatives to an estate, or neighbours of a property that is falling into disrepair because the owner has passed away and there is no one to inherit it.’

Caroline: How do you source and choose subjects for the programme?

John: ‘Broadly speaking we feature two types of cases: ones in which we follow the heir hunters “live” as they trace family members, and then others which are interesting cases from the archives that have already been solved.

‘For us to include any case in the programme we look for an heir who is happy to be featured and we also strive to find people who knew the deceased and can share some positive memories of them.

‘We then spend time researching the family and/or social history angle for each story, which could be anything from the interesting occupation of an ancestor to a key event that shaped a family’s story, such as WWII evacuation for example.’

More Insight Questions.. continues..

A Memorial Day – Remembrance of Family Finding

I imagine and remember about my great-grandfather Albert Edward Crust who died 1917 in Belgium every year.

His momentous is one of those amongst the touchy lines of white crosses seen across fields in Europe.

Albert’s wife was pregnant with my grandfather, George Crust, at the time of his death. George never met his Dad.

George Crust went on to contribute as a Sgt Major in WWII. George’s hold war story is noteworthy.

He acknowledged a letter whilst on duty abroad telling that his brother had died in an action. He didn’t judge his brother would be as slipshod as to be killed and went looking for him. After numerous days of travelling and searching; he found his brother injured, but alive in hospital, fortunately!  

By Daniel Curran, MD of Finders

Interesting Story - Assets Uncovered - Under the Mattress!

Finders approach across a wealth of stories about missing heirs, strange circumstances, causes of death, bizarre and estranged families, but it is not often the estate assets are found, literally, under the Deceased's mattress.

In a recent case, we were asked to trace the next of kin of an elderly recluse named Joseph Brown. Enquiries with neighbours discovered a few information about his individual habits and his common mistrust of all corporate and government bodies.

Mr. Brown owned his unpretentious home in Ruislip and this was due to be sold as part of the usual estate administration process. Finders property service delegate went to the property to organize the house authorization and after a extensive inventory was prepared; they reached the stage of removing furniture. That is when the mattress was lifted to disclose seven disheveled looking brown A4 envelopes, each containing £5,000 in cash!

"This is amazing, we often remark about" said Daniel Curran, Finders MD "but in this case it turned out to be true!".

Asset searches are completed by our firm; as another part of the finalizing of the estate through the common channels and; we often find undiscovered pension funds or bank accounts - in future we will be turning over mattresses too!

Further stories and interviews can be read at http://www.findersuk.com

Daniel Curran
www.findersuk.com

Heir Hunters: Expect the unexpected – See our Case Studies

When the representative of a probate genealogy company visits likely wealth beneficiaries, they have to suppose the unexpected and be organized for knock backs as well as successes.

Finders legislatures tend to visit beneficiaries all over the UK from Cornwall to the Highlands. Most visits are casual but occasionally they become more interesting, heirs often have stories to tell about their relatives and are almost always fascinated to hear the details of the heir hunter’s research. One of the delights and pitfalls of the job are the beneficiaries themselves.

On a recent case, a Finders representative visited multiple beneficiaries in Leeds to introduce the company’s services. They were all part of an extended family and lived within a few miles of each other but to his surprise didn’t know about each other. The trails lead, the heir hunter to a rundown street in a notorious area. On approaching the house, the representative thought better of knocking but turning to return to his car, the door opened, and he was gestured back and into the filthiest house, he had ever seen and invited into a front room that stank of marijuana and was occupied by friends of the beneficiary in various states of intoxication.

The visit was luckily brief but successful from both the ends. The heir hunter then found himself on an estate where the sat nav couldn’t find the correct address. He pulled over to ask directions from a group of youths to be told “You don’t want to come ‘round here asking questions like that!” He was about to make a rapid getaway when the respondents girlfriend hit him, they all laughed and gave the directions to the beneficiaries address successfully.

On a visit to Lincolnshire, the heir hunter found the correct address where the beneficiary’s wife told him that; the beneficiary was having a regular Friday night drink at a nearby pub. He called the beneficiary who invited him down. The beneficiary was a very affable man, who bought the representative a pint and introduced him to his lawyer who he was at the pub with. They spent a pleasant half hour mutually the heir pleased to have found out that, he was due an inheritance from a relative he didn’t know who had died intestate.

A case in Cornwall, gave rise to three brothers, discovering rather surprising, but for them charming, about their family. The father of the beneficiaries had pre-deceased his half sister who three years older than him and had subsequently died intestate. The beneficiaries had no understanding of the deceased and were adamant that their father was an only child. It turned out that the deceased had been born in 1942, when her mother was already married to the beneficiary’s grandfather. They came to the apparent conclusion that; their grandmother had not been totally faithful while granddad was away at the war! The representative was embarrassed to reveal this, but the brothers were more interested to find out that; they had had an aunt they had never known.

So, when visiting potential beneficiaries in cases of intestacy, heir hunters have to merge quick wits, with tact and sensitivity as, they never know where they will end up or what they may find out!

Finders have been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 “Total Quality Management certification” and are the first probate genealogy firm to achieve the international version of this Standard as devised by the IAB (International Accreditation Board). Finders also provide missing beneficiary insurance, which protects trustees and administrators against the event of an unknown beneficiary emerging after an estate, has been distributed. As agents for Aviva they are regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

For further information and advice contact:

Finders, 6-8 Vestry Street, London N1 7RE, 020 7490 4935
http://www.findersuk.com

First Ever 'Heir Hunters' App Launched by FindersUK

We are excited as our firm FindersUK has launched the first ever Heir Hunters App. That's right, we've done it first! And it’s free forever for any users internationally.

Finders is the foremost Genealogy firm (United Kingdom and Internationally) to release an App to facilitate a growing number of iPhone, iPad and Android users working from home or on the move.

You may Start tracing missing heirs whenever you want from wherever you are (fully supported service).

Search under ‘Heir Hunters’ in the App Store to find our free App and download within no time. It functions so smoothly and gives easy navigation and pleasure while surfing.

View and submit forms directly to us via feedback form. Navigate and submit forms quickly and easily in few easy steps. Read about our all services using our user- friendly interface.

Zoom in or rotate text for a better view and compatible with any devices for glorious experience.

Have confidence that the form is correct with field validation, calculation, and formatting. Copy forms to yourself upon completion. It will give a copy of your document.

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome!

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