The term “lost assets” describes those which cannot be found in the financial records of an individual or organization. When people relocate, change employment, or open up an account for someone else, they may lose or forget their assets, for example. In the US alone there are billions of dollars of lost assets also known as Unclaimed Property.
Similarly, when there is a death and there is no documentation of the investment made in one’s belongings, assets may potentially be “lost”. Although ownership of these assets cannot be contested, steps must be taken to guarantee the records administrator has the most recent information. Probate courts and Unclaimed Property could hold these assets.
Lauth Investigations and their team strive to locate the rightful owner of the asset and return to the owner and heirs by conducting complex Genealogy research and connecting owners of the asset.
Sifting through family ancestry to confirm legitimate heirs and beneficiaries is paramount in the recovery of lost assets. Genealogical research — specifically — aids in identifying legitimate descendants who are entitled to receive unclaimed assets due to ambiguous ownership or missing records.
Expert genealogists make connections between current and former family members through official documents such as birth and death certificates, and via historical data. In being reunited with lost money, families are often rewarded a sense of closure. This process guarantees that unclaimed estates, financial assets, and/or property are returned to their rightful owners, which can sometimes span generations.
Lauth Investigations helps heirs with their unrecovered assets in the following ways:
Often, businesses or holders of unrecovered assets hire firms, commonly referred to as heir finders, to identify the rightful owners of missing assets. Before a corporate entity is required by law to return the unrecovered assets, Asset finders may reach out to inform individuals they could potentially be the rightful owner or heir. For consumer protection, most holders of unrecovered assets mandate that Asset finders operate as licensed private investigators. The majority of US states require “finders” to be licensed private investigators in their state.