Life Insurance Policy Locator Tool Now Available to Marylanders

BALTIMORE, Jan. 10 -- The Maryland Insurance Administration issued the following news release:

The Maryland Insurance Administration and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today announced a national database to help find a deceased person's lost life insurance policies and annuities and potentially recover unclaimed benefits. The NAIC's Life Insurance Policy Locator provides nationwide access for assistance with finding life insurance policies and annuities. An estimated $1 billion in benefits from life insurance policies are unclaimed, according to Consumer Reports. The new tool builds on the life insurance policy locator programs developed separately in a number of states before this launch. "There are many people who do not know where to begin when searching for a lost life insurance policy or annuity," said Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr. "The life insurance policy locator streamlines and simplifies the process for consumers and insurance companies." In 2015, life insurers paid more than $74 billion in insurance policy benefits to consumers nationwide. Since 2010, state insurance regulators have investigated unclaimed life insurance benefits. To date, nearly 23 regulatory actions have resulted in returning more than $6.75 billion life insurance proceeds to U.S. consumers. This new tool is intended to make it easier for policy beneficiaries to find lost policies and potentially claim life insurance policy benefits. All consumer requests in this tool are encrypted and secured to maintain confidentiality. Participating insurers will compare submitted requests with available policyholder information and report all matches to state insurance departments through the locator. Companies will then contact beneficiaries or their authorized representatives. To learn more about the Life Insurance Policy Locator, please see the Frequently Asked Questions tab. Other Consumer Resources Related to Life Insurance and Annuities:

* The Maryland Insurance Administration's Consumer Guide to Annuities can be found HERE (http://www.mdinsurance.state.md.us/Consumer/Documents/publicnew/consumerguidetoannuities.pdf).

* To learn more about life insurance, click HERE (http://www.mdinsurance.state.md.us/Consumer/Pages/Life.aspx).

* For instructions and frequently asked questions on how to file a complaint with the Maryland Insurance Administration, go to: http://insurance.maryland.gov/Consumer/Pages/FileAComplaint.aspx.

* o You can call the Maryland Insurance Administration's Life and Health unit complaint line: 800-492-6116 or 410-468-2244.

About the Maryland Insurance Administration The Maryland Insurance Administration is an independent State agency charged with regulating Maryland's $28.5 billion insurance industry. For more information about the Insurance Administration, please visit www.insurance.maryland.gov or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MDInsuranceAdmin or Twitter at @MD_Insurance.

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