State Auditor James Brown Kicks Off Life Insurance Awareness Month With Policy Locator Tool

The following information was released by the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance:

State Auditor James Brown is kicking off National Life Insurance Awareness Month by connecting Montanans to a free tool that helps beneficiaries find unclaimed life insurance policies.

The Life Insurance Policy Locator, hosted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) with the support of the State Auditor's Office, helps identify unclaimed life insurance policies and annuity contracts by searching records of participating insurance companies on behalf of a potential beneficiary. This service is performed at no cost to the consumer.

The numbers evidence the importance of this tool from December 2016 through July 2026, the tool matched more than $34.5 million in policy for Montanans, including more than $6.4 million so far this year.

"Nationally, there are billions of dollars out there in unclaimed life insurance policies. Montanans should take advantage of this excellent and free tool to determine if they are an unidentified beneficiary entitled to payment, Auditor Brown said. Life insurance is meant to provide financial security after a loved one's passing. Don't let the money you're rightfully owed sit there unclaimed and unused.

The secure, encrypted tool is easy to use:

visit the Life Insurance Policy Locator portal;

submit a request with the deceased's information, including their Social Security number, legal name, date of birth, and date of death;

searches may take 90 business days or more to complete;

if a match is found and the requester is confirmed as the beneficiary, the insurance company will contact you directly;

a response is only sent if a match is found and the requester is the beneficiary.

The more information you can input into the tool, the better it can serve you. However, the service is still effective even if you do not have key information like the policy number or the name of the insurance company.

Should you suspect you might be a life insurance beneficiary, you are strongly encouraged to submit a request and see what may be owed to you.