How can you find a life insurance policy if you do not have the name of the insurance provider?

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has a "Life Insurance Company Location System" to help you find state insurance department personnel who might help identify companies that might have written life insurance on the deceased. NAIC's Life Insurance Company Location System - Answer five questions, using your best guess if necessary, then click on the 'Create Suggested Contacts' link to view a list of State Insurance Departments that may be able to assist you with your search. - (external-apps.naic.org/orphanedpolicy)

Also, if not covered in the article, call the persons auto/home agent as they may have also sold him life insurance.

But the above answer only helps if you know what the company was. That locator system referenced above only helps you find the name of successor companies of ones that have been sold, merged or taken over.

It doen't help somebody who thinks there is a policy out there somewhere at some company find it.

If you don't know which company the policy was with, you are likely not going to be able to find out unless you do some good forensic work.

Contact the bank of the person with the policy and see if you can find out if they wrote checks to an insurer and then contact that insurer.

You can also ask the policy owners auto or homeowner's insurer if they knew who had the life policy.

You can also try the person's accountant or lawyer to see if they know.

AnswerYou are gonna most likely have to have the policy number. [No you don't need the policy number if you know the insurer and the policy owner] This would also mean you would have to find the paper work which, in turn, should state the beneficiary. Can you just ask this person?