What this interactive tool does

Industrial branch policies, often known as "penny" policies, were small life insurance plans sold door to door through most of the twentieth century. A collector called at the house each week, sometimes for a few pence at a time, and noted the payment in a premium book. Millions of these policies were taken out, and a huge number were never claimed because the policyholder died, moved house, or simply lost touch with the company. This interactive tool takes the few details you still have, the rough era, the original insurer or collector, and any paperwork that survives, and points you to the company that holds the policy today.

The reason this matters is that almost none of the original brands still exist under their old names. They have merged, been bought, and merged again, so the policy your grandparent paid into may now sit with a completely different insurer. The tool does that detective work for you and gives you a clear place to start.

When to use it

It is worth a few minutes if you have found an old policy document or a premium collection book among a relative's belongings, or if you simply remember a collector, often called "the man from the Pru", who knocked each week for a parent or grandparent. It is also useful when you are settling a deceased relative's estate and want to be sure nothing has been overlooked. The names to watch for include Liverpool Victoria, now LV=, along with Royal London, Pearl, Prudential, Refuge, Britannic, United Friendly and Royal Liver. Even if all you have is a memory and a surname, the tool can suggest a sensible first step.

How it works

You answer a handful of short questions about whose policy it is, roughly when it was taken out, the original insurer if you know it, and what records you still hold. Based on your answers, the tool explains which modern company is most likely to hold the policy, how old brands have been folded into larger groups such as Phoenix, ReAssure and Royal London, and the exact steps to make contact and start a claim. It also tells you what proof you will usually need, including identification and, where the policyholder has died, a death certificate and a grant of probate. Nothing you enter is saved, and you do not need to create an account to use it.