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Sometimes a family member or friend has a life insurance policy or annuity contract that their beneficiary may not know how to locate.

Or a beneficiary may be unaware that they were designated to receive benefits upon the death of the person who was insured. This is what we consider to be a lost policy or contract.

If you’re not sure whether a policy or contract exists with Nationwide, we can help.

Start an online policy or contract search

To begin your search for a lost life insurance policy or annuity contract, complete our online form or call 1-800-848-6331.

As we process your claim, we’ll contact you if we need additional information or documents.

Conduct your own lost policy search

If you’re not sure whether your loved one had a Nationwide life insurance policy or annuity contract, you may conduct a search on your own.

Unfortunately, there is no national or statewide database of all life insurance policies that you can consult. But these strategies may help:

  • Search your loved one’s personal papers and address books for listings of insurance agents, lawyers, estate planners and financial professionals
  • Contact previous employers for records of past group policies
  • Review bank records for payments to life insurance companies
  • Check the mail for a year after death for insurance premium or dividend notices
Have any questions? Call 1-800-848-6331, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET.

Please note that federal and state privacy laws may limit whom an insurance company can provide information to about a life insurance policy or an annuity contract. Unless you are a beneficiary or an authorized representative, such as an executor of the decedent's estate, you may not be contacted about the life insurance policy or annuity contract related to your request. If your request results in a match, Nationwide will work directly with the named beneficiaries to process the claim.