What does Georgeson do?
Established in 1935 and operating in the UK since 1994, Georgeson is a leading business, specialising in reuniting people with their forgotten and unclaimed assets, such as shares and cash. For more information please click here.
Why have you contacted me?
We are working on behalf of a company that is attempting to make contact with you or you could be due an entitlement that you may not be aware of. Our clients may have lost contact with a customer or an asset may become ‘lost’ for a number of reasons, including:
> People move house without providing an updated address
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People change their name through marriage or divorce
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Executors or beneficiaries of an estate are unaware of an investment or policy when a family member passes away
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People develop a complex range of savings and investments that they subsequently lose track of.
How did you get my address?
We have access to publically available records, such as the electoral roll or BT OSIS. Our experienced in-house research team will have located you at a new address, under a new name or as a possible beneficiary to a deceased estate and are now making contact with you to positively identify that you are the person we are looking for.
Why have you written to my neighbours?
As part of our work, from time to time we need to make contact with people or organisations who we consider may have valuable information that may assist us in tracking down the person that we are looking for. Neighbours often keep in contact with each other and can help us with our search. You can rest assured that we do not give out any information other than your last known address.
How can I trust that this is legitimate?
Georgeson is a trading name of Computershare Investor Services PLC, which is a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. We have been appointed directly by a company to complete a programme of work to make contact with their customers or reunite them with entitlements that they are due. If you have any concerns or require any further information then please contact us.
Why am I only hearing about this now?
The company we are working on behalf of has written to you in the past, but you have not responded. Previous correspondence may have been sent to a previous address that you have subsequently moved from or you may have simply not responded.
Why do you charge a service fee?
Where applicable, the service fee goes towards the cost of the time and resource Georgeson has spent locating and contacting you and others who have not claimed their entitlement. We employ a dedicated research, call centre and processing team. Details of the fee (if applicable) you will be charged following a successful claim can be found on the claim form you should have received.
What is asset reunification?
Asset reunification is the process through which people are located, contacted and reunited with unclaimed or ‘lost’ entitlements as a result of forgotten investments, savings or matured policies. A lost asset can take the form of a dormant bank account, unclaimed shares or a matured life assurance policy that has not been claimed.
People can lose track of their investments, savings and matured policies when:
> they move and do not notify the company of a change of address
> they change their name as a result of marriage or divorce and do not notify the company
> they forget about their savings and investments
> they make investments without telling their spouse
> they are unaware that their deceased relative had investments
> companies are acquired, merge or change their names.
Why do companies want to return these lost assets?
It is best practice for companies to return lost assets to keep their records up to date and to ensure that their customers receive the assets they are entitled to. If companies don’t keep their records up to date they may incur unnecessary costs, for example by mailing shareholders at the wrong address.
I have received a letter from Georgeson addressed to a person who no longer lives at this address. What should I do?
We would appreciate any help you can give us to find this person. If you have a forwarding address for them, please let us know so that we can write to them again. We will then ask you to destroy the letter you received. If you don’t have an address for them, but know the name of the estate agency that managed the sale/purchase of the property, again please contact us to let us know as we may be able to contact them via the appointed agents.
The letter I received mentions a scheme of arrangement – what is this?
A scheme of arrangement is a court-approved agreement between a company and its shareholders or creditors that may affect the structure of the business. For example, if a company is merging with another or being taken over, under a scheme of arrangement the shareholders do not have to send back a form of acceptance for the merger/takeover to take place. Once the merger/takeover happens, the original shareholders are automatically sent either shares in the new company, cash or a combination of both.
If you have received a letter about this, it may be because the entitlement sent to you wasn’t cashed and is still owed to you.
The letter I received mentions an acquisition – what is this?
This is where one company takes over another or where companies merge together. Shareholders are sent documents outlining the proposal of the acquisition before it happens and are asked to send back a form of acceptance. Once an acquisition happens, the original shareholders receive either shares in the new company, cash, loan notes (a document proving what is owed to you) or a combination of all three.
If you have received a letter from Georgeson it may be because your form of acceptance wasn’t received by the company that was involved in the acquisition, and your entitlement hasn’t been issued to you.
What happens if I have changed my name?
Please contact us so that we can update our records. You will need to provide proof of the change of name.
What documents will you accept as proof of a change of name?
You will need to provide us with either an original or certified copy of the following so we can positively identify that you are the person that we are trying to contact:
> a marriage certificate
> a deed poll
> a decree nisi
> a decree absolute
> a civil partnership extract
> a change of name deed
> a certificate of incorporation.
Please post them to us with your claim form in the pre-paid envelope provided.
If you are having problems providing us with the required evidence then please contact us.
What happens if I have changed address?
Please contact us so that we can update our records. You will need to confirm your previous address and provide us with proof of your new address.
I can’t remember my old address, what do I do now?
You will need to provide us with evidence of your previous and current address so we can positively identify that you are the person we are trying to contact. We will accept the following documents as evidence of a current and previous address:
> Bank statements
> Credit card statements
> Utility bills (gas, water, electricity and telephone)
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New drivers license (card and paper copy).
Please post them to us with your claim form in the pre-paid envelope provided.
If you are having problems providing us with the required evidence then please contact us.
Will I get the documents back that I send to you?
We will endeavour to ensure that your documents are safely returned to you. However, we cannot guarantee this, so please send us certified copies of official documents where possible.
Who can certify copies of documents?
A solicitor, public notary or probate officer will be able to certify a document on your behalf. This must bear the appropriate seal or stamp of approval.
Can you email or fax the claim form to me? And can I email or fax the claim form back?
We will only be able to email or fax a claim form under certain circumstances, so please contact us to discuss this. However, you must post the claim form back to us, completed in ink.
What if the person you are trying to contact has died?
The executors of the estate should make contact with us in the first instance. Once we have positively identified that they are the person we are looking for all executors of the estate will need to sign the claim form and submit the original sealed Grant of Probate or Certificate of Confirmation.
If no probate or confirmation is applied for then please contact us.
I have lost contact with the other joint policy holders / shareholders / executors. What happens now?
For legal reasons we require the signatures of all joint shareholders or executors. Please contact us if you think this is not going to be possible.
What happens if I decide not to claim my entitlement?
It is advisable that you claim your entitlement. Assets that remain unclaimed after a certain period of time (usually up to 10 years) may be paid into Court, a government ‘reclaim fund’ or may be used by a company for general corporate purposes, including charitable giving. Thereafter you will need to satisfy the Court that you are entitled to the assets; this may involve the services of a solicitor. After a period of time you may no longer be able to claim your assets
The form we have sent you will have more information.
Can I leave the cash to a charity?
If you live in the UK and choose to donate your entitlement to charity, it will be donated to a dedicated charity, normally ShareGift. ShareGift is an independent charity that distributes the proceeds of donated cash and shares to a wide range of UK registered charities. Please see your claim form for details about where your entitlements will be donated. If you would like your entitlement to go to a specific charity, we recommend you claim it and then donate it to the charity of your choice.
How do I get power of attorney/court of protection?
For court of protection advice or advice relating to enduring powers of attorney please consult your solicitor.
The sole executor is a solicitor and they are going to charge me too much money to make it worthwhile claiming. Is there any way around this?
In this instance, please seek legal advice.
Who has to complete the claim form/small estates form?
The next of kin to the deceased.
How do I know who is the next of kin?
The next of kin will be the husband, wife or civil partner, a son or daughter (including step-children if formally adopted), a parent or a sibling of the deceased.
Where can I get copies of a death certificate or probate?
Your local registry office will be able to help with probates. For death and birth certificates you can contact the General Register Office.
How will I be paid/sent my entitlement?
Your entitlement will be in the form of a cheque and will be posted to your address. Georgeson makes all payments by cheque.
How long will I have to wait to receive my entitlement?
It generally takes up to six weeks from the time we have validated your entitlement for you to receive your cheque.
Can the cheque be paid in a different name/to another person?
Unfortunately we are unable to do this. We can only make the cheque payable to a different person when the claimant is deceased. In these cases the cheque will be made payable to the executors of the estate.
I do not have a bank account to cash the cheque. Is there any other way I can be paid my entitlement?
Payments can only be made by cheque.
Can you pay the entitlement via a bank transfer directly into my bank account?
Your entitlement can only be paid in the form of a cheque which will be posted to your address.
Should I declare this money for tax implications?
If you are unsure of what action to take, you should seek independent financial advice.
I've been asked to complete a European Union Savings Directive (EUSD) Form - why do I need to complete this form and how do I complete it?
Following the approval of the European Union Savings Directive by the EU Council of Ministers on 3rd June 2003, all European Union residents who receive income from outside their resident state need to complete an EUSD Form in order to comply with the tax laws of their country of permanent residence. For further information regarding the EUSD Form please click here.
I haven’t received my cheque. What should I do?
It generally takes up to six weeks from the time we have validated your entitlement, to when you will receive your cheque. If you haven’t received your cheque after this time, please contact us.