Do you think you have an Industrial Branch policy that hasn’t been claimed?

Industrial Branch policies were sold door to door many years ago, with the payments (premiums) being collected by an agent visiting the homes of customers. These were also known as ‘penny' policies.

Typically, these types of policies were life insurance policies and were usually taken out to pay for funeral expenses or to provide a lump sum when the policy ended.

The premiums customers paid would be in cash and were usually low in value, giving the name ‘penny' policy. It was collected, usually each week, and recorded on paper in the customer’s receipt book, so very different to how policies are sold and managed now.

When collecting money from people’s homes stopped, it became harder for people to keep track of the policy they had. So now there are lots of policies that have been separated from their owners or their next of kin.

We want to help our customers find their policy and reunite them with any money due to be claimed.

Do you remember paying money to an agent who visited your home?

Or do you remember your parents or grandparent paying money into a policy in this way?

Have you found an old premium receipt book that belonged to you or a family member?

If the answer is yes, there are things you can do to try and find the policy. It might still need to be claimed, and you could be owed money.

Our Industrial Branch policies were provided by Britannic Assurance, Pearl Assurance and Swiss Life.

They were most common in the 1960’s but sold up until 1997.

Swiss Life took over several other companies, so you may have originally bought your policy from one of the following:

• Blackburn Assurance Limited
• Blackburn Philanthropic Burial Society
• Bristol, West of England and South Wales Friendly Collecting Society
• City of Birmingham Friendly Society
• National Friendly Collecting Society
• Pioneer Life Assurance Company Limited
• Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company Limited
• Preston Philanthropic
• Royal Co-operative Collecting Society
• Stamford Mutual insurance company Limited

If you think you have an unclaimed policy, we’ll be happy to check for you. We’ll need to know a few details to do this:

• The full name (including any maiden name) and date of birth of the life assured or policyholder.
• The policy number — you’ll find it on the policy document or premium receipt book.
• The policyholder’s current or last known address and any previous addresses you know about.

If you have an old premium receipt book showing the amount and date of the final premium, that will help us too. We’ll do everything we can to trace the policy. The more information you can give us, the easier that will be.

Sadly, if you don’t have any evidence like an old policy document or premium receipt book, we may not be able to assist you. So please look for any evidence you may have before you get in touch.

For Britannic Assurance policies, call 0345 305 5552.

For Pearl Assurance policies, call 0345 880 0088.

For Swiss Life policies, call 0800 026 2830.

If you think you have an unclaimed policy with any other company, start by calling them directly. They’ll tell you the information you need to provide to help them trace it.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) offers a free service that helps you search for a policy that may now be taken care of by another provider. It’s called a register of consolidations, and you can find out more from the ABI website.