Finding Deceased Dad's Assets

[baseltoff]

My father, Vic, died in 2007, his wife Bett died in 2009. The attorney that wrote my father's will has also died. My oldest sister, Joy, is executor of the will and has power-of-attorney for my Dad.

My father's 4 daughters are the beneficiaries of everything according to his will. Bett was always annoyed about this, though her own assets were double my Dads. Bett & her daughter, Jan, are very weird when it cames to money. Bett even cut off her own son and grandson over a money. She didn't mention my Dad (they were married 18 years) or her son in the Death Noice nor the eulogy (Bett planned her own funeral to the last detail.)

The daughter has asked Joy for my Dad's death certificate. This makes us suspicious that there may be assets that we are unaware.

I see "asset investigators" on the internet, but I don't know if any of them are reliable. We'd like to researched my father's bank acounts, CDs, savings, IRAs, retirement acounts, life insurance and/or anything I'm not thinking of. They are probably mostly in Connecticut.

What would be the best way to investigate? Are there any online places that I could do investigations myself for free or little charge? Can anyone attest to one of these investigators that are really good and not horribly expensive? Or, if there are none of the former, where an we find a good investiator despite the price?

Thanks,
Baseltoff

 

[dee_dub]

You can advise her you'd be happy to send a copy of the death certificate to any authorities that require it, if she would advise you where to send it.

I don't know much about estates in Connecticut or how to track down assets there, but my suggestion would be to talk to a local estates lawyer. They will at least be able to point you in the right direction and would probably give good guidance on what asset location firm, if any, to use.

 

[baseltoff]

Would her "authorities" be obligated to split assets in a joint account evenly? Even if he predeceased her by 2 years? We really have no attorney involved on our side.

Do you have any idea how much one of these investigations would cost? I'd hate to pay hundreds for an investigation on an account that had, say, $27. in it.. What might an attorney charge us? None of my father's daughters is in a position to pay a lot. Is there any way to research them yourself?

Thanks,
Baseltoff

 

[jharris352]

Authorities would be obligated to forward assets to the executor who's duty it is to deal with the assets.

 

[baseltoff]

I just found out a new problem regarding my father's death after speaking with Joy, the executor, today. Before our Dad passed away in 12/2007, she had gone to one of my father's banks, Webster Bank in Connecticut, where he has some CDs. She had wanted to make an inquiry about the accounts. She had a copy of my Dad's "Power of Attorney" in hand. The bank refused to give her any information saying they wanted the "Power of Attorney" updated to be within the previous 6 months before they showed her anything. By that time, our Dad had bad dementia from Alzheimer's and was not in any condition to update it. Then, after he died, Webster Bank wanted the "Certificate of Probate" that is issued by the county of death, but when Joy went to get one, somehow, the coroner had put the wrong city of death on the death certificate (two towns are close together and often confused.) With the wrong city on the death certificate, they wouldn't issue the "Certificate of Probate." So, to this day, Joy has been trying to get the death certificate corrected -- to get the "Certificate of Probate" to access these Webster Bank accounts. It will be two years next month that our Dad died.

Three questions:

1) Can a bank refuse to honor a "Power of Attorney" like that?

2) Are there time limits as to when a death certificate needs to be issued and/or corrected?

3) Any suggestions?

Thanks,
~B

 

[baseltoff]

Does jharris352's previous reply mean, regarding my last entry, that Webster bank would need to deal with Joy just because she's the executor? Would she still need the "Certificate of Probate?"